Nottinghamshire council leaders react to proposal to stop HS2 rail line at East Midlands Parkway

The National Infrastructure Commission’s National Rail Assessment (NRA) includes proposals to scrap the full Eastern leg of HS2 and Toton hub, and to terminate the line at East Midlands Parkway.

This would mean people wanting to travel further north would be put back onto the old network, and casts doubt over the future of plans that would create thousands of jobs near the previously proposed station at Toton.

The NRA will be used by the Government in the new year to determine where it will fund major rail investments aimed at helping the UK recover from Covid and create jobs across the country.

Nottingham City Council Leader, Coun David Mellen, said: “While claiming to be committed to investing in the East Midlands following years of under-investment, this report suggests yet again the Government is ignoring the needs of our region.

“These proposals reduce any chance of improving Nottingham’s existing poor connections to the north, while putting a huge dent in the proposed development around Toton, which all local partners have backed as the best option for the East Midlands, bringing much-needed jobs and investment to the area.

“Perhaps the biggest and most devastating impact will be a significant loss of investor confidence in Nottingham and other cities on the Eastern side of the country.

“We’re disappointed but sadly not surprised by the proposals put forward in this report. Suggesting HS2 stops at East Midlands Parkway is just the latest in a history of broken promises from this Government.

“We waited 30 years to secure the investment for essential improvements to the A453, and previously the Government cancelled the electrification of the Midland Mainline.

“I hope the Government will not let us down again, and will reject these proposals and stand by their commitment to deliver HS2 in full, all the way to Leeds and Manchester.”

Coun Kay Cutts MBE, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and chair of the HS2 East Midlands Board, said: “What the NIC is suggesting amounts to far more than just a change in station location. It is a fundamental scaling back of HS2 in the Midlands and Yorkshire.

“Parkway is in the middle of nowhere and was dismissed by feasibility studies for sound reasons: it is little-used, increases station costs, and returns less to the economy. It also reduces transport connections to our communities, to the rest of the Midlands and up into the North.

“No assessment of an historic investment in infrastructure should ignore the needs of a region now nor the prosperity of its people in the future. Yet we fear the NIC’s focus on upfront cost does just that.

“A clear understanding of the East Midlands economy would tell you that moving HS2 to Parkway is a poor deal for the region, and poor value for UK taxpayers.

“We have spent years talking, planning and carrying out feasibility studies. In the wake of Covid, people want to see us get on and deliver

“Levelling-up should mean that the East Midlands is no longer going to be treated like the poor relation. So let’s see a positive decision from Government to build Toton and deliver HS2 East in full.”

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