Secretary of State for Transport (): I am today (18 January
2024) formally lifting the safeguarding directions for High Speed
2 (HS2) Phase 2a (between the
West Midlands and Crewe). In doing so, this government is
delivering on a commitment made in the command paper Network North: transforming
British transport, published on 4 October 2023.
Safeguarding is a planning tool used to protect the land needed
for the HS2scheme from
potential conflicting development. The safeguarding directions
require the local authority to consult with HS2 Ltd on planning applications
within the safeguarded land. By lifting safeguarding, the
government provides certainty to people along the former route of
HS2 and makes development
easier, as HS2 Ltd will
no longer object to proposed development in the area to which the
safeguarding directions had applied.
To allow Phase One of HS2 to
connect to the West Coast Main Line I am continuing to safeguard
land close to Handsacre. This connection at Handsacre will:
-
allow passengers to travel on HS2 trains through to Manchester,
Liverpool and Scotland, joining the West Coast Main Line for
the rest of their journeys
-
reduce the journey time between London and Manchester by
nearly half an hour (down to 100 minutes), facilitated
through an upgrade of Handsacre Junction which will allow
more trains to reach key destinations north of Birmingham
For areas where safeguarding has been removed, I have also today
closed the Rural Support Zone, Extended Homeowner Protection Zone
and Homeowner Payment schemes and will review existing
applications on a case-by-case basis. This is because these
schemes were established to support those impacted when the
government intended to build Phase 2 of HS2. The Need to Sell scheme remains open
for now as a ‘safety net’, for those who meet the criteria and
have a compelling need to sell, until the blighting effect of
HS2has fully receded. Further
information can be found on the claim compensation if your
property is affected by HS2
webpage.
High Speed 2 Limited (HS2
Ltd) is writing to the owners of properties affected by
this update explaining what these changes mean to them
personally. The Network North command paper also committed that
Phase 2b safeguarding will be amended by summer 2024, to allow
for any safeguarding needed for Northern Powerhouse Rail. I can
confirm that this work is underway and I will set out further
details regarding those areas that will come within the scope of
these new safeguarding directions in due course.
The lifting of safeguarding is separate from the programme for
disposing of any property no longer needed for the HS2 project which will begin shortly. More
details will be set out soon.
I am depositing the High Speed 2 Handsacre connection to the West
Coast Main Line safeguarding directions and guidance, the
Handsacre West Coast Main Line safeguarding directions plans and
the Handsacre West Coast Main Line safeguarding directions key
plan in the libraries of both Houses.
