"The Duchy of Lancaster negotiated payments totalling 1,132,400 by selling land for road works near a proposed hub station in Crewe, Cheshire in a deal that has emerged despite the organisation's assertion that it is completely self-financing and does not rely on taxpayers' money. The duchy which has been controlled by reigning monarchs since medieval times and exists to provide them with a private income acquired a sprawling, 1,400-hectare (3,450-acre) estate set around the Jacobean mansion of Crewe Hall in 1936."
"In Crewe, the duchy was free to negotiate on price because, unlike other landowners whose property was acquired as part of developments linked to HS2, it is largely exempt from compulsory purchase laws. The payments were made between 2012 and 2017, when the duchy was controlled by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Its profits increased sharply during her reign, although throughout her lifetime its vast landholdi"
The Duchy of Lancaster negotiated payments totalling 1,132,400 by selling land for road works near a proposed hub station in Crewe, Cheshire linked to the northern phase of HS2. At least three plots were sold between 2012 and 2017 while officials planned major infrastructure upgrades and anticipated millions of extra passengers and a 750m annual local economic boost. The duchy owns a 1,400-hectare estate around Crewe Hall, is largely exempt from compulsory purchase laws and most business taxes, and can therefore negotiate prices and maximise profits. The northern HS2 phase was shelved in 2023 amid spiralling costs.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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