Safeguarding is part of the UK planning system that protects infrastructure projects from conflicting developments.

The new safeguarding directions will permit statutory compensation arrangements for homeowners affected by the project.

Homeowners within the safeguarding area, who qualify, will be able to apply for the government to purchase their property and cover some additional costs.

There are a number of other compensation schemes available in which eligibility depends on the circumstances of the applicant.

Those homeowners outside the safeguarded zone may still be eligible for Homeowner Payment Schemes, Need to Sell Schemes and Exceptional Hardship Schemes.

Recently the government announced it has changed the route of the proposed HS2 high-speed rail network, meaning that fewer properties will be affected by the development.  

The changes include a 1.6-mile extension to a deep-bored tunnel under the Chilterns, which is expected to protect almost 30 acres of woodland.

Other changes include the realignment of a route near Lichfield that will allow the railway to pass underneath the A38, the West Coast Main Line and the South Staffordshire Line, as opposed to passing above them on viaducts.

The new route also will pass over the Trent and Mersey Canal.