The preferred route runs close to the western fringe of Fairford Leys, including Andrews Way, Cooks Road and Napier Road.

And the proposed 75-metre- wide track would slice through nearby Aylesbury Park Golf Club, literally concreting over holes 13 and 15 of the course.

The meeting heard from chairman of Coldharbour Parish Council, Steven Lambert, who outlined the plans and details of the exceptional hardship scheme.

He told the audience he was keen for the meeting to be informative rather than give a political view on the proposals.

But the next speaker, Shirley Judges, of the Chilterns Conservation Board, was rather less restrained.

She urged people to bombard a new Government website, www.spendingchallenge.hm-treasury.gov.uk, which invites the public to suggest cost-cutting ideas, with proposals to bin the £30bn HS2 scheme.

"Please suggest a very good way to save money is to abandon HS2 and abolish the High Speed Two company, which save £1.2bn over the next five years alone.

"Let your friends and family know this is open and ask them to respond, too.

"People think it is only going to affect us locally but the amount of money that will be spend on this that could be spent elsewhere is a nationwide issue.

"The cuts to Network Rail, the cuts to local authorities – they could be reversed."

She also highlighted the new Government's response to a petition set up against the high speed proposals, which attracted nearly 7,000 signatures.

The response says the coaltion has a 'clear commitment' to establish high speed rail.

And although the statement says no final decision has been taken on the preferred route, it adds that the A413/Chiltern Line transport corridor 'makes considerable use of tunnels, cuttings and existing transport corridors to minimise the environmental impacts in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty'.

Mrs Judges said: "We have to work on the assumption this may well go ahead in defiance of common sense and logical arguments because the Government has decided it's a nice idea.

"If you don't it will happen then I say think Millennium Dome."

Cllr Lambert said: "I think the meeting went very well, I was pleased with the turnout and the types of questions asked.

"I would encourage other councils to do the same thing."