Cheshire East will have a greater say in decisions on HS2 construction and design after voting to become a ‘qualifying authority’, writes Belinda Ryan.
The council is already a qualifying authority for phase 2a – the route between Birmingham and Crewe.
This means it has more scope to give or refuse permission for specific details involved in the construction of HS2 within the borough along that part of the route, rather than leave decisions to be made at a national level.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the full council, members voted unanimously to become a qualifying authority for the construction of phase 2b, the route from Crewe to Manchester.
Deputy leader Craig Browne (Ind), who chair’s the council’s highways and transport committee, said: “This is not about stopping the project, that doesn’t lie within our gift.
“It’s about wrestling back some control on behalf of our communities in terms of how the project is delivered and how the maximum level of mitigation can be secured.”
Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury, Con) said: “We can’t stop HS2, this is not the purpose of this.
“I have to say that our experience so far in HS2a has been useful and that the feedback that we have been able to contribute, particularly in terms of local knowledge and activity on the ground, has been worthwhile.”
She added: “If nothing else, it does give this council, and in particular local members and parish councils, that opportunity to use their local knowledge and ensure that the impact on residents is reduced as far as possible.”
Cllr Mike Hunter (Lab) said, as chair of the strategic planning board, he had already been dealing with schedule 17 [matters connected to HS2 in this respect].
“I have to say that Cllr Clowes is absolutely spot on with her remarks,” said the Middlewich councillor.
“It has proved useful to us and Cllr Clowes takes full advantage of the opportunity to make comment and represent residents within Cheshire East.”
He urged more councillors to take the opportunity to participate, describing HS2 as a ‘massive disrupter’ locally.
“Once the schedule 17 comments are made, and the decisions are taken, it’s too late to come back to council to complain about the things that may or may not happen,” Cllr Hunter told the meeting.
“So please, I’m urging members to support because, having an impact, you need to make your representations known and we can only do that through this particular item.”
Well that will put the nail in the HS2 coffin then. Everything CEC touches stops in its tracks – pardon the pun – and hence everybody who doesn’t want HS2 will be happy, supporters of it though will be frustrated by lack of activity by our council.