WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones has tackled Transport Minister Simon Burns over the controversial proposed route of the HS2 rail link.
She met the minister in Westminster and made it clear that Warrington favours a different route.
She also raised the plight of people who have had house sales fall through after details of the preferred route were announced.
The line will run through the Culcheth area, cutting through Culcheth Linear Park – ironically a former railway – and through the Taylor Business Park.
It will also pass close to Lymm, cutting through Warburton and the Hollins Green area.
But Warrington’s flagship railway station – Bank Quay – will miss out on becoming an HS2 station.
After the meeting, the MP said: “I made it clear that we in Warrington want a different route. At the moment we are getting all the disruption without any economic benefit.
“Other MPs have also made the point that the benefits of HS2 would not be felt in this area without changes to the proposals.
“I believe that Warrington Borough Council should now be working with other local authorities to get the changes we want.
“Only in that way will we have a chance of preventing the damage to villages in the north of the town while gaining some economic benefit for our communities. “
MP tackles Minister over HS2
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
2 Comments
Helen Jones will have to understand two things: 1. shunting the problems off onto someone else isn’t a very nice thing to do. Sets her up as a ‘right ole nimby’ and it solves none of the basic problems of the HS2 scheme. That is why the action group is called ‘STOP HS2’ not ‘DIVERT HS2’.
2. Down south, on the phase 1 part of HS2, groups took a two-track approach – to both oppose HS2 as a whole and to argue the details of local impact. We have been fighting to make HS2 less harmful for 3 years. Don’t you think our MPs have been pushing for mitigation and improvements over 3 years? We have got NOTHING in our area – indeed the impact of the line has been made WORSE at every new stage. Where HS2 have provided a tunnel for the Chilterns, they have saved the money from other areas (ie making the impact worse).
Mrs Jones, there is only one position to take and it is STOP HS2!
Why does Helen believe that Warrington favours a different route? Who has she consulted that has brought her to that conclusion?
She hasn’t attended any of the public meetings held in Culcheth or Hollins Green. If she had, she would be aware that people actually want HS2 stopping not shunting on to another community to deal with.
Make no bones about it, HS2 will bring only one thing in its wake, blight and destruction to people’s lives and local communities. Helen needs to stand up for here constituents and oppose HS2.