Residents living near Queen’s Park station say homes in this part of West London have developed serious cracks and signs of sinking after HS2 tunnelling work passed beneath the area.
Several properties on Claremont Road and Kilburn Lane are reported to have been affected. According to residents, walls have cracked, doors have shifted and, in one case, emergency scaffolding has been put up after damage became severe enough to raise safety concerns.
Brent Council installed emergency scaffolding on an end-of-terrace house in Claremont Road two weeks ago. Ground-floor tenants at that property were moved to another home after cracks became so severe they were considered a safety risk.
Residents link worsening damage to tunnelling dates
People living in the area say some cracking had been visible for years, but claim it became much worse after HS2 tunnelling took place between August 30 and September 13. During that period, a tunnel boring machine passed 18 metres below Claremont Road and Kilburn Lane as engineers worked on the underground section between Euston and Old Oak Common.
One resident on Claremont Road said a substantial crack running the full height of the property was noticed at the end of September. The same resident said other cracks then appeared towards the ceiling and across multiple floors, and that HS2 Ltd was formally notified on October 3.
The resident said they were later told they would not hear back for eight to 10 weeks because HS2 Ltd was dealing with a high volume of claims. They also said the cracks had widened by the final week of October.
Another resident, Sonia, 57, said she had been trying not to panic since scaffolding was erected on the outside of her flat on Claremont Road a fortnight ago. She said her downstairs neighbours had been rehoused, but that she had not been moved by her housing association.
She said cracking in her bathroom had existed for some time but became much worse over the summer. She also said the building’s front door had become difficult to open and had to be shaved down, and now appeared crooked.
Residents told the source publication that homes on the west side of Claremont Road closest to Kilburn Lane appear to have been hit hardest. About a dozen nearby residents said they had either noticed cracking for the first time since the end of August or believed existing damage had become considerably worse.
Claims, compensation and dispute over the cause
One homeowner said HS2 Ltd invited them in September 2025 to sign a settlement deed allowing them to seek financial compensation if tunnelling had damaged the property. An assessment was later sent on June 23, including a photograph of the building’s facade which, the resident said, showed no visible cracking at that point.
In one house on Kilburn Lane directly above the HS2 tunnel, resident Ceilan Handy said a spider web of cracks had spread across the living room. He said the area already had older housing and ageing infrastructure, making it vulnerable to possible damage.
Brent Liberal Democrat councillor Barbara Want said she believed vibrations from tunnelling were responsible for cracking and subsidence near Queen’s Park station. She said the timing of the damage, appearing within days of tunnelling, made the cause obvious in her view.
She also said community groups had been pressing HS2 to acknowledge what they say is tunnelling-related damage and to contact affected residents more quickly.
HS2 Ltd disputes that tunnelling has necessarily caused the damage being reported. The company said many of the properties already showed signs of cracking before the tunnel boring machine passed beneath the area.
It also said the exceptionally dry weather during the summers of 2025 and 2026 led to unusually high levels of clay shrinkage, which can widen existing cracks and cause new ones to appear.
What HS2 says about monitoring in the area
Responding to the claims, HS2 Ltd said it carries out monitoring and surveying of ground levels before, during and after tunnelling to assess movement. The company said its analysis indicates that tunnelling-related ground settlement in this area has been small and in line with expectations.
An HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: “We take our responsibility to communities very seriously and try to respond quickly to concerns when raised. Claims from inside the area that could be affected by our work are dealt with thoroughly and where tunnelling is shown to have had a material impact on a property we will compensate.
“Analysis of the monitoring data indicates that tunnelling-related ground settlement in this area has been small in magnitude and in line with expectations.”
The high-speed railway between London and Birmingham is due to open in stages between 2026 and 2043.
- Affected streets named in the report are Claremont Road and Kilburn Lane near Queen’s Park station
- Residents say damage worsened after tunnelling between August 30 and September 13
- Brent Council has already installed emergency scaffolding at one property
- HS2 Ltd says claims are being assessed and compensation will be paid where tunnelling is shown to have had a material impact
