Small business ‘trepidation’ over HS2

SMALL business leaders have voiced “trepidation” about high-speed rail in Yorkshire and said reopening a city airport in Sheffield would be a better solution.

By Martin Slack

Published 1st Feb 2013, 07:00 BST

The Federation of Small Businesses is currently leading a campaign to reopen the defunct Sheffield City Airport which is now earmarked for redevelopment.

Gordon Millward, the FSB’s regional chairman, said yesterday: “The projected HS2 journey time from London to Meadowhall is 69 minutes, but to see those benefits we must wait 20 years.

“Anyone who remembers the commercial chaos caused in Sheffield by the construction of Supertram will view with great trepidation the prospect of a project on this scale.

“Bringing Sheffield City Airport back into use could be complete in a matter of months. We hope that councils and officials who gave such a warm welcome to HS2 will wake up to reality soon and get behind the campaign to establish a pragmatic solution to the question of South Yorkshire’s business travel conundrum.”