HS2: Stafford council bosses seek greater say on project

The HS2 Hybrid Bill allows local authority's to choose between becoming a non-qualifying authority or a qualifying authority, which dictates how much say they have over design issues in relation to the controversial high-speed rail line.

A report set to go before a Stafford Borough Council on July 26 recommends that the authority becomes a qualifying authority.

It states: "Qualifying Authorities will be responsible for issuing consents and approvals in relation to the detailed design and appearance of structures and other elements of the scheme but that responsibility does not extend to the principle of their construction which is permitted by the Bill itself."

Examples of structures the planning authority will rule on include any buildings, road vehicle parks, cuttings, earthworks, fences and walls, telecommunication masts, pedestrian access to railways lines, artificial lighting, bridges and viaducts which come forward.

The Bill is currently making its way through Parliament and the council will have to decide if it wants to become a qualifying authority before it gains royal assent.

Should the council wish to refuse any part of the HS2 development they would only have certain grounds to do it which would be to preserve the local environment or amenity, preserve road safety, preserve a site of archaeological interest and if certain parts can be built elsewhere when concerning historic sites.

Because of the sheer volume of planning applications which the council would have to deal with in relation to HS2 the authority would have to handle them in a different way.

The report states that the council's usual procedure which sees councillors able to 'call-in' certain proposals to be debated by the planning committee, which typically sits every three weeks, would be not be able to cope.

Therefore it is recommended that HS2 applications be delegated to officer Richard Lawrence, the authority's head of economic development and planning.

However the paper states this would require specifically amending the council's constitution.

There will also be incurred costs for the council in dealing with the extra work which may lead to temporary posts being funded. Alternatively the authority would reimbursed.

In the wake of the cabinet re-shuffle in Government newly appointed Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has backed HS2 even though objectors once again called for the scheme to be scrapped following the vote for Britain to leave the European Union.