Reaction to HS2 announcement

This is the view of Warwickshire County Council, which today (Tuesday) announced its “disappointment after Transport Secretary Justine Greening announced the Government would press on with the £33 billion HS2 rail project.

But business leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire have insisted that firms in the region must benefit from HS2 - even though trains will not stop in the area.

The Government £17 billion high speed rail line will reduce journey times between Birmingham and London to 49 minutes and later extend to Manchester and Leeds.

Warwickshire County Council’s deputy leader Cllr Bob Stevens (Con, Feldon) said: “We are disappointed that the Transport Secretary has decided to go ahead with the HS2 scheme. It will have a devastating impact on the countryside and little benefit for us.

“We based our strong opposition to the scheme on the fact that it presents a flawed business case and offers poor value for money to the taxpayer. It is an expensive project which we believe will have only a very limited impact on the regional economy and certainly nowhere near as substantial as estimated in some quarters. There will also be unquantifiable hidden costs to the local authority.”

Cllr Stevens said the council remained committed to protecting the county’s environment and communities, and would continue to work with the 51M Group of local authorities opposing HS2 to to put the county’s case against it.

He added it must ensure residents’ interests were best served.

Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce have said it is vital that the line, which does not stop in the county or the city, should bring some benefits.

Chief executive Louise Bennett said it was vital that the new line bolstered business in the city and the county.

She said: “The view on HS2 among our members has been split and there was certainly a feeling that those behind the project failed to really ‘sell’ its benefits to businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire.

“The Chamber held several events and we even visited former Labour transport minister Lord Adonis in London to find out as much information as possible on HS2 on behalf of our members.

“What is absolutely vital now is that all stakeholders in Coventry and Warwickshire join together to make sure that this line brings economic benefits to our doorstep and does not deliver them elsewhere.

“We need clear, concise information on how this will affect services from our stations to London and vice versa and we need to ensure we get the best deal for the region because this is one of the most significant transport announcements for many years.”