Yesterday, Thursday, 18 January Transport Minister Mark Harper MP formally lifted safeguards that had been put in place to protect to route of HS2 Phase 2a between the West Midlands and Crewe.
By lifting the safeguarding, the government is delivering on a commitment made in the command paper Network North: transforming British transport that was published on 4 October 2023.
To protect the land needed for HS2 from potential conflicting development, the planning tool known as safeguarding was put in place. It required local authorities to consult with HS2 Ltd whenever any planning applications were submitted within the safeguarded land.
Lifting safeguarding will provide certainty to people along HS2’s planned route and make development easier, as HS2 Ltd will no longer object to proposed development in those areas where safeguarding directions had applied.
To allow HS2 Phase One to connect to the West Coast Main Line. land close to Handsacre will continue to be safeguarded. This connection will:
- allow passengers on HS2 trains to continue on the same train through to Manchester, Liverpool, and Scotland;
- reduce the journey time between London and Manchester by nearly 30 minutes (down to 100 minutes) by upgrading Handsacre Junction to provide extra capacity north of Birmingham.
For areas where safeguarding has been removed, the Transport Minister has closed the Rural Support Zone, Extended Homeowner Protection Zone, and Homeowner Payment schemes, whilst existing applications will be reviewed individually. The schemes were put in place to support those affected when it was still intended to proceed with HS2 Phase 2.
For now, The Need to Sell scheme remains open as a ‘safety net’ until the blighting effect of HS2 has completely receded for those who meet the criteria and prove they have a compelling need to sell. Further details about claiming compensation for those whose property is affected can be found on the HS2 webpage by clicking here.
High Speed 2 Limited (HS2 Ltd) is writing to owners of properties affected by lifting the safeguards to explain what the changes mean to them personally.
The Network North command paper also committed that Phase 2b safeguarding will be amended by summer 2024 to take into account any safeguarding required for Northern Powerhouse Rail. Transport Minister Mark Harper MP has confirmed that this work is in progress and will set out further details regarding areas that will come within their scope in due course.
Lifting safeguarding is separate from the programme to dispose of any property that is no longer required for HS2. More details of the programme will be published soon as will the start of the programme.
Transport Minister Mark Harper MP will be depositing the High Speed 2 Handsacre connection to the West Coast Main Line safeguarding directions and guidance, the Handsacre West Coast Main Line safeguarding directions plans, and the Handsacre West Coast Main Line safeguarding directions key plan in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
Responses
The Nasty party..poisoning the well for an incoming government. V them.
What a use less government Britain has got this use less tory government has betrayed the people of the north by scrapping the second phase of HS2 we need the HS2 High speed rail link built in full to get a massive amount of freight of the roads and on the railways in the UK and to help cut down massively the pollution and congestion on the roads and to attract a lot more foreign investment in the UK plc and to give the rail industry in a Uk as well a massive economic boost to creat many more jobs in the rail industry
Another terrible political decision. When announced last year, the DfT has never moved so fast to get it on the books before the general election to thwart Labour from instigating a HS2 “B” for the whole length cheaper.
They never learn from history do they ?
Was it not Brunel who had to double his previous two tracks from Paddington to Bristol to handle the traffic at great expense?
I had suggested a decade ago that the HS2 surface land purchased should have been sufficient for four tracks, but to no avail. Four tracks to Birmingham and Manchester would without doubt have had a future expansion capability built in. With only two HS2 tracks and trains every twenty minutes, how will maintenance possessions take place?