PROPOSED changes to the HS2 rail route locally include so-called “passive provision” for two new junctions at High Legh.
The government has launched a consultation on the proposals which will close on September 6.
According to the HS2 company the new junctions are proposed to future-proof the design for a possible link up with Northern Powerhouse Rail – the new east/west line that used to be known as HS3.
The proposals have caused concern at High Legh, where the parish council has already made clear its total opposition to the HS2 on the grounds of needless destruction of valuable Green Belt, agricultural and recreational land.
Cllr Ian Marks, of Lymm said: “The spur to the west would run from High Legh to Liverpool.
“The big unknown is where would it go? Would it go right through the Garden Suburb proposed in the Local Plan? Would it go through the South West Urban Extension near Walton? Or would it go just south of the borough boundary parallel to the motorway?
“Wherever it might be, could have major implications for the new homes proposed in the Local Plan.
“This comes on top of the decision to close Fiddlers Ferry Power Station earlier than expected, the Prime Minister’s announcement about becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and a greater risk of a ‘No-deal Brexit’.
“These are all major factors which show how fluid the world has become and the importance of not destroying our landscape by taking away acres and acres of Green Belt when there is so much uncertainty around.”
