A BUSINESS case prepared by the city of Stoke on Trent has been presented to the Government today, which urges the inclusion of Stoke and north Staffordshire on the route of HS2.
The document has been produced by various specialists including economic consultants Volterra, who sit on HS2 Ltd’s Economics Advisory Committee.
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership chair David Frost said that the business case 'makes solid financial sense for UK plc'.
He continued: “We have to get maximum value from any infrastructure investment and something this big is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the UK economy. The Stoke Route connects up cities and delivers the maximum economic impact. The city has the development ready brownfield capacity to maximise the benefits of HS2 and avoids the costs of carving up the countryside.
“Routing HS2 via Stoke-on-Trent delivers equivalent or faster journey times than the alternatives. It connects up more people earlier. It delivers more impact for less cost for the tax payer. Stoke-on-Trent provides the best option for HS2.”
Volterra chief executive Bridget Rosewell said the Government and HS2 Ltd could not ignore their findings, which conclude that a proposed hub at Crewe is not the best solution.
She explained: “The economic impact of HS2 on Stoke-on-Trent will be significantly larger than it would be on Crewe. The city region is almost half a million people and a city that both needs and wants to change. HS2 will add extra energy to the drive to create a new high density commercial heart in the city.
“The high speed rail market is city centre to city centre and if HS2 is to increase economic growth in the north it should not skirt around the only city between Birmingham and Manchester. That would be a wasted opportunity. Crewe simply could not cope with this level of growth."
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce president Jonathan Mitchell said this was an issue of 'national importance'.
He said: “Business is expecting Government to make a decision based on sound economic principles. This is not just about railway engineering; it’s about connecting cities, growing economies and creating jobs. The Stoke Route meets all these requirements – boosting the North Staffordshire economy and delivering full HS2 services to more cities - earlier, for less cost and with minimal disruption.
City Leader Councillor Mohammed Pervez added: “The Stoke Route would generate about £200 million extra growth for the regional economy, while Crewe would not lose out. In contrast the emerging Crewe scheme would generate much smaller gains and isolate the City economy. It could even have a net negative impact on the regional economy.
“The Stoke Route is better for the economy, generating more high impact city growth, faster, linking millions more people to HS2 services seven years early. That’s got to be good for business. It’s greener too because it delivers the station, the railway and the economic growth on existing brownfield land.
“While Crewe proposes a parkway station, Stoke-on-Trent’s solution would be in the heart of an urban conurbation of 470,000 people – around seven times the size of Crewe. It would be fully integrated into the city’s new business district.
“There is cross party consensus that HS2 is now all about cities – about better connecting the regional powerhouses and engines of economic growth. As the only major city between Birmingham and Manchester, the Stoke Route delivers this ambition.”