{"id":49669,"date":"2014-11-04T09:40:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T09:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=b3937eac3a8cde65bd378fce8e51e4c0"},"modified":"2014-11-04T09:40:00","modified_gmt":"2014-11-04T09:40:00","slug":"statement-to-parliament-hs2-route-to-crewe-safeguarding-consultation-launched","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=49669","title":{"rendered":"Statement to Parliament: HS2 route to Crewe: safeguarding consultation launched"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"govspeak\">\n<p>Further to my statement of 27 October in which I welcomed the key recommendations in Sir David Higgins\u2019 report <a rel=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/assets.hs2.org.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/Rebalancing%20Britain.pdf\">Rebalancing Britain (PDF, 3589KB)<\/a>, I am today announcing to the House the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/consultations\/hs2-phase-two-fradley-to-crewe-safeguarding-consultation\"> launch of a consultation on safeguarding directions for the western leg of <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Phase Two between Fradley, near Lichfield, to Crewe<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Safeguarding is an established part of the planning system in the UK. It ensures that land which has been identified for major infrastructure is protected from conflicting development. The consultation will run for 9 weeks, closing on 6 January 2015.<\/p>\n<p>In Sir David\u2019s <a rel=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/assets.hs2.org.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/inserts\/Higgins%20Report%20-%20HS2%20Plus.pdf\"><abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Plus (PDF, 648KB)<\/a> report of March 2014 he suggested opening the line to a new hub station in Crewe in 2027, 6 years earlier than planned. In response I commissioned <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Ltd to undertake a route consideration process, informed by feedback from consultation. While a decision has yet to be made on the Phase Two route, I can inform the House that the analysis we have undertaken to date,  points towards an onward connection from <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Phase One through to Crewe and that it is therefore appropriate to consult on whether I should make safeguarding directions for that part of the route. <\/p>\n<p><abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Ltd has examined hundreds of options for the whole route for the western leg of Phase Two across 5 criteria: constructability, sustainability, journey time, cost, and demand. <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Ltd has refined these options into a number of recommendations through a sifting process that balanced these different criteria. Following a careful consideration of the suggestions put forward by consultees, including those put forward by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Ltd advice is that on the analysis done so far (and there is more to do) the Crewe route looks likely to be the right route choice. <\/p>\n<p>A connection from the high speed line to the West Coast Main Line at Crewe would allow towns across the north west to benefit from <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> with trains running direct to Crewe, Liverpool, Carlisle, Lancaster, Preston, Wigan, Warrington, Chester and Runcorn. Crewe would also permit ready access to <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> to North Wales. <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Ltd\u2019s analysis recognises the importance of serving these areas too. <\/p>\n<p>Other destinations served by the proposed <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Phase Two route, on both the eastern and western side of the country, should be reassured that we continue to be committed to a Y shaped <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> network delivered as quickly as possible.  Decisions on the Phase Two route will be taken when the necessary analysis has been completed, and my department continues to carefully review the material submitted by consultees and the further work undertaken by <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Ltd. While we work towards finalising a route for Phase Two, I cannot rule out the possibility of needing to make changes to the route \u2013 including from Fradley to Crewe. But in the interests of ensuring the timely and economic delivery of Phase Two I must consider protecting that part of the route from conflicting development in the meantime. Making safeguarding directions would also trigger the entitlement for affected owner-occupiers to ask the government to buy their property under statutory blight arrangements.<\/p>\n<p>Following a decision on the route of Phase Two, <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Ltd will undertake a more detailed design study; and safeguarding directions made following this consultation would have to be reviewed. As with safeguarding for <abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> Phase One, updates are also to be expected as greater understanding of the engineering requirements will clarify whether or not the correct land is safeguarded or whether any changes need to be made.<\/p>\n<p>I am placing copies of both the Phase Two (Fradley to Crewe) safeguarding consultation and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/hs2-phase-two-fradley-to-crewe-safeguarding-consultation-maps\"><abbr title=\"High Speed Two\">HS2<\/abbr> safeguarding maps (Fradley to Crewe)<\/a>: general notes on draft safeguarded area documents in the libraries of both Houses.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"related-information\">Related information<\/h2>\n<p>Department fro Transport released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/safeguarding-consultation-on-hs2-route-to-crewe-launched\">press notice about the release of the consultation<\/a> on 4 November 2014.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Announces the launch of a consultation on safeguarding land for Phase Two of HS2 between Fradley and Crewe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49669\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}