Ambitious 'garden community' plans for Stafford will not be affected by scrapping of HS2 line
Ambitious projects to redevelop land around Stafford’s railway station and create a new “garden community” in the north of the borough will not be affected by the scrapping of plans for the HS2 line between Birmingham and Manchester, a council leader has said.
The Stafford Station Gateway scheme, which is set to see brownfield land regenerated to create new homes and commercial space, and the proposed Meecebrook development of 6,000 new homes near Yarnfield were set to benefit from the controversial high speed rail line and its link to the county town via HS2-compatible trains switching to the West Coast Main Line at a junction at Handsacre.
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced this week that Phase 2a of HS2, which would have run through Stafford Borough, was being axed and the £36 billion saving was instead being earmarked for transport improvements across the country.
The move has been welcomed in the borough by those who have voiced strong opposition to HS2 since the second phase route was announced more than a decade ago.
Speaking at Thursday’s cabinet meeting (October 5) Stafford Borough Council leader Aidan Godfrey said: “As you know the Prime Minister has cancelled the line from Birmingham to Manchester and that would have affected the borough.
"None of the projects that we’re considering or hope to have in the future will be affected by this decision and they will still go ahead.
“In fact, in many ways some things will change for the better – the number of trains through Stafford we expect to increase.
"But we have to look at the damage that’s been done to the county to get to where we are and it’s not just people’s property, it’s wildlife, the trees and the environment.
“We need to know from Government two things; one, how much of the (£36bn) are we going to get in Stafford Borough to improve our transportation.
"Secondly, people’s lives have been disrupted to get to where we are now, so how are they going to be compensated and how is the countryside going to be put back to what it was?”
Stafford Borough Council’s Conservative opposition group said: “We welcome the news from the Prime Minister of the scrapping of the HS2 railway line north of Birmingham and the re-investment of £36bn into local transport infrastructure that will benefit our communities locally in Stafford Borough, as well as across the wider West Midlands and the north.
"The impact that building the train line would have had on all in our communities locally would have been significant over a prolonged period, which now can be minimised through using the existing available rail capacity on the West Coast mainline.
“We look forward to the government’s reassurance of the commitment to the Handsacre link as part of Phase One and also that Stafford, as an economic centre, will continue with the plan to benefit from classic compatible trains.
"An upgrade of the West Coast mainline and to Stafford station to a multi modal integrated transport hub should be a priority so that it can continue to attract businesses and retail to the County Town and make best use of the previous rail infrastructure and other investments that have been made over the past 10 years within the borough.”
Last week HS2 representatives attended a Staffordshire County Council meeting to discuss the project, while speculation was taking place around whether or not Phase 2a would go ahead.
Work was continuing on Phase One, which runs up to Fradley, and some preparatory work had also taken place in areas of Stafford Borough.
Staffordshire County Council’s leader Alan White said: “Although we have been opposed to HS2 from the outset, we have remained committed to mitigating both the impact on this county and our people and to maximising the economic benefits to Staffordshire.
"While we understand that there has to be a ceiling to costs of such major infrastructure projects, HS2 has already had a significant, irreversible impact on this county.
“It is important Phase One is now completed as planned and the promised shorter journey times for residents are delivered and the wider growth plans for Stafford fulfilled.
"We will of course closely monitor future developments, including additional investment in Midlands infrastructure projects, and their potential impact on people and businesses in Staffordshire.”
