Fast rail debate looking to public

Businesses and industry professionals are set to take part in a debate on the £32bn HS2 rail link in Leeds, and have urged residents to join them.

By The Newsroom

Published 29th May 2013, 01:01 BST

Work on the northern section of the network linking Yorkshire to London is scheduled to begin in the mid-2020s and could be running by 2032, but residents have voiced concerns over the cost, its benefits, the noise and pollution.

The Royal Town Planning Institute, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Landscape Institute, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Institution of Civil Engineers have been invited to take part in the debate on June 27.

All five bodies believe HS2 will be important in supporting growth.

But RICS president Alan Collett said: “It’s important the views and opinions of people in the North are heard.”

The ‘Fast Train South is a Strain Not a Gain’ debate will be held at Leeds Metropolitan University’s The Rose Bowl on Monday, June 27, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.