D-day on Toton HS2 hub could be just weeks away
THE future of HS2 in Nottinghamshire is expected to become clear by the end of next month or early October, a council leader says.
But it remains unclear what the outcome will be, with doubts cast over the high-speed project’s eastern leg.
The Government is due to publish its Integrated Rail Plan this autumn, after committing previously to a form of high-speed travel in the East Midlands.
The plan will assess “lessons learned” by earlier phases of the HS2 line in the hope of delivering high-speed rail more quickly.
It will also outline plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Connect.
Concerns mounted last month, however, that the plans could be shelved after the Government requested the eastern leg, planend to link Toton to Leeds, is paused.
A Rail Needs Assessment last year also recommended that the Government ditch plans to build the HS2 station at Toton, moving the scheme to East Midlands Parkway.
However, investment has already been pledged for the region to help deliver the scheme, including a new £30 million link road through Chetwynd Barracks, which is set to be redeveloped into housing.
The hub would also link to other forthcoming projects, including the East Midlands Freeport and the reopening of the Maid Marian Line.
But Councillor Ben Bradley MP, Tory leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said investing in the proposed Toton hub would “pay for itself” over a 10-to-15-year period.
Mr Bradley said the cost was expected to be about £25 billion, and he believed Toton should be included in the plans.
“We’re expecting the Integrated Rail Plan in the autumn, probably the end of September or early October,” he said.
“For us, the capacity is clear around freight, what we want to do with the freeport, and with being a hub in the country in terms of logistics.
“Whatever it looks like is a national decision far above our heads, but we want to ensure Toton is a part of it in some shape or form.
“We’re making a strong argument. I’m fairly confident Toton will have some role in whatever the announcement is, because, of course, that’s our hub, our economic growth and where investment is lined up.”
However, Lasbour’s Councillor Milan Radulovic, leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, remains sceptical.
“My feeling is it’ll get shelved, put on the back burner to let another Government look at it in the future,” he said.
“That would be a complete abdication of responsibility.
“We want to proceed with it. We’re looking at the Toton Masterplan, the creation of the business park, jobs and houses.
“It’s time [the Government] got off the fence and made a decision.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service last month, a Department for Transport spokesperson said the Government remains committed to high-speed travel in the region.
Once complete, the HS2 line will run from London to Birmingham before splitting into a Y-shape, with the western leg going to Manchester and the eastern leg to Leeds, potentially via Toton.