County councillors will oppose plans for a high speed rail line through Lichfield and the surrounding areas, it has been confirmed.
A meeting of Staffordshire County Council today (March 17) saw the issue of HS2 debated before a large majority of councillors voted to officially oppose the scheme.
The vote recommendation stated that HS2 should be opposed on the grounds that:
- The business case is flawed
- There is no economic benefit for Staffordshire and it would actually damage the county’s economy
- It would cause significant environmental damage
- Investment should be made in improving affordable rail and road transport
County council leader Philip Atkins said:
“Today the clear consensus from county councillors was to oppose the proposals. There are serious concerns about the devastating environmental impact and the potential harm to our economy. Many people don’t realise that existing mainline train services from our county would suffer.
“This is an important issue for all Staffordshire residents. While the HS2 line ends in the south of the county, the HS3 line which will follow would cut through the rest to the north through the Trent Valley.
“We believe an urgent national debate needs to take place on better ways of improving our transport infrastructure for the good of the entire economy. I would urge people to respond to the Government’s official HS2 consultation and oppose these proposals.”
The Government’s public consultation on the proposed route between London and Birmingham runs until July.For more information visit www.highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk.
