Minister set to battle for HRS

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said it “welcomed the Government’s level of ambition” with the HS2 project, but warned the chosen route must be the correct one for countryside communities.

Ralph Smyth, the CPRE’s senior transport campaigner, said: “Twenty years ago, most people would never have believed rail use could double by 2012.

“In planning for 2032, it is right that we should now aim high for our rail network. So we can certainly welcome the Government’s level of ambition.“

But the CPRE said it will be holding the Government to account once the route has been unveiled, and said the areas affected “will want to consider whether there are better alternative routes or approaches to growing the rail network’.

“We hope communities directly affected by phase two of HS2 can have greater opportunities to influence the proposals than has been the case for phase one,” the CPRE said.

“It is not just a question of where the route goes, where stations are located and how much is spent on mitigation.

“Joined-up action on local transport, planning and skills will be essential if the benefits of high speed rail are to justify the potential cost to the countryside, communities and the taxpayer.”

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said opposition from some locations was inevitable.

“The main opposition at the moment has come from those areas in Buckinghamshire, the Chilterns, where actually I can understand their argument – because they don’t get much benefit from this,” he said.

“The more you go north, the more support there is for it. But I have no doubt there will be some people in North Derbyshire, in Sheffield who will be opposed to the project, and say the project is not worth the money.

“I think it is.”