Cheshire East Council submits petition against Crewe's HS2 Phase 2b Hybrid Bill
Cheshire East Council has submitted its petition against the HS2 Phase 2b Hybrid Bill – calling for the government to 'deliver the best possible outcome for the borough and its communities'.
The Bill had its Second Reading in the House of Commons on 20 June and seeks the powers to construct and operate Phase 2b of HS2 (Crewe to Manchester).
The council submitted its written petition against the Bill last week (August 4), seeking changes to the proposals within it - including how Phase 2b is delivered.
The petition was developed following consultation with local ward members and town councils.
There are calls for the delivery of an enhanced HS2 hub station for Crewe, supporting the right level of connectivity to facilitate five to seven trains per hour stopping in the town.
Councillor Craig Browne, deputy leader of Cheshire East Council and chair of its highways and transport committee, said: "The petitioning process is the council's final opportunity for us to formally raise our concerns and influence the proposals before the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament.
"I would like to make it clear that whilst we are minded to support the project in principle, our support remains conditional upon the government delivering the best possible outcomes for Cheshire East.
"This is namely the infrastructure to support five to seven trains an hour stopping at Crewe and substantial mitigation for those communities that will be adversely affected by construction along the proposed route.
"The arrival of high-speed services will unlock economic growth and regeneration opportunities and can also help to address serious capacity issues on our local rail network.
"This will help to improve passenger services and moving more freight from road to rail."
The line between Manchester and Crewe is now expected to open between 2035 and 2040.
The council wants those impacted by this HS2 line to be offered the maximum levels of compensation.
Cheshire East has also called for enhanced mitigation against the negative impacts of the scheme - including the environment, landscape, ecology and local transport network.
Cllr Browne added: "The scheme will also have an impact on the environment, landscape and ecology of Cheshire East and there will be communities that will be directly affected.
"This is particularly those close to these routes and construction areas."
On 6 July, an additional provision was introduced into Parliament, known as AP1.
Additional provisions are proposed changes to the Bill that require additional or new powers from Parliament.
Additional provisions are 'mini-Bills' themselves and the proposed changes can be petitioned against.
Cheshire East Council submitted a separate written petition against the AP1 proposals yesterday (August 9).
For the council, this includes proposed changes to highways junctions, and plans to extend the tunnel that would go under the north of Crewe by 620m – taking it further away from residential properties.
While the council is supportive of this proposal in principle, it is seeking the highest levels of mitigation to reduce the impact on the local area and its communities.
Now that the petitioning period has ended, select committee hearings – where the petitions will be heard – will be held at a later date.
The council will then assess any changes that are made following these hearings, in consultation with local ward members and town and parish councils.
The hybrid bill and supporting documents can be found on the government's website HERE.
READ MORE: Cheshire Police officers investigating Crewe hit-and-run incident - involving parked car.
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