High speed rail will not help the North

AS a simple housewife living in the Chilterns (I declare an interest), I do not understand how high-speed rail (HS2) will bring economic benefits to the North (Yorkshire Post, March 21). Why do (some) local business leaders warn that HS2 is “essential to the region’s future economic health”?

How many site visits does a prospective UK client need to make to a manufacturer in Sheffield or Leeds before placing an order? Surely most research is done electronically?

Provided the product is of good quality, competitively priced and delivered on time why should the client need to make more than occasional visits to the Yorkshire site?

If the client is from outside the UK, surely he/she will fly to one of the northern regional airports?

Are not Yorkshire manufacturers’ representatives, in turn, provided with company cars and expected to use them, particularly to carry samples and merchandise?

If the objective is to boost the northern retail, conference or leisure sector, I would argue that far more Northerners (of which I consider myself one) are up for a weekend in London or the South than the reverse. Rather, I would expect northern shopping centres and tourist sites to suffer because, like it or not, London is still the great magnet. Cheap rail tickets and shortened journey times will only exacerbate this.

The old cliché about southerners knowing nothing of England north of Watford is, I’m afraid, largely true. I do not think HS2 will change things, particularly as the Department for Transport’s own consultation documents show that seven out of every 10 jobs created by any regenerative effect will be in the capital.

The cost of HS2 from London to Birmingham alone works out at £160m per mile. Philip Hammond is going to have to sell literally billions of his cheap tickets to even begin to pay for this scheme.

Bird haven in village

From: Helen North, Staveley.

I WRITE in response to Joe Shute’s article (Yorkshire Post, March 24) in which it was stated that the residents of Staveley oppose the expansion of the Staveley Nature Reserve.

It would be very difficult to find a village resident who is not proud of what Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has achieved in the reserve and fully support its expansion of the reserve.

The point at issue is in regard to the planning application. To highlight just a few of my concerns, the car park being established specifically for disabled users can only be accessed through two separate locked gates which may only be opened by getting out of your car.

The hides are to be on concrete foundations and 4.5m high in an area known as flat meadow land, one hide will be placed exactly on an area where a large number of visiting birds are currently nesting.

The hides will be hexagonal and glazed on all sides, when YWT were asked how they will deter birds flying into the windows we were told that the movement in the hides would frighten them away.

Given it is intended that the hides are used for school, visits two hides implies two coaches will be present at any one time.

In essence, my personal view is that the reserve should continue to be a safe haven for both wildlife and people alike and that further thought should be given to ensure that neither are placed at risk.

Scrutiny of degrees

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

THE Chancellor George Osborne stresses the priority to encourage growth. Good. The country relies on the wealth creators and risk takers for its prosperity.

Inevitably, the role of the universities will come under increasing scrutiny. I yield to no one in my admiration for genuine academic or professional achievement, but degrees in golf course management or the history of the Beatles are neither academically respectable or vocationally valuable.

Now that the courses are to carry a substantial price tag it is all the more important that they should come under rigorous scrutiny.

I would be interested to know if some of the more dubious studies are ever vetoed.

If they are routinely nodded through by whoever has the responsibility for vetting them, is it not high time that some rigour was imported into the procedure?

After all, is yet another degree in media studies serving any useful purpose apart from making work for lecturers?