A
PRESENTATION TO ANDREW JONES MP.
PARLIAMENTARY
UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE
FOR
TRANSPORT
BY
THE HS2 BLACKWELL GROUP
13TH
MARCH 2017
AGENDA
1.
Introduction……………………………..Tony Mellors
2.
Question HS2 Claims on
connectivity,
Travel
times and capacity…………..Kate Heasman
3.
Sheffield Meadowhall – The
Logical
Choice…………………………..Graham Heasman
4.
Facts and concerns regarding the
Proposal
to introduce a spur line that
Goes
through Newton……………….Gary Smith
5.
The impact on the newly built
Newton Fields Estate…………………Hannah Boyle
6.
Environmental impact of the spur
Line
on Newton………………………..Andrew Burrows
7.
Closing Statement…………………….Tony Mellors
Introduction – Tony Mellors
I would like to thank
the Minister for this opportunity to meet and discuss the proposed route of HS2
through Derbyshire, and specifically it’s effect upon the villages in Blackwell
Parish.
Our objectives today are:
·
To Present Local Knowledge
to Inform the Minister
·
To Demonstrate where Information
from HS2 is Inaccurate
·
To Present a Better
Vision for HS2 in the Whole Region
I would like to begin
by showing an extract of one of HS2’s maps included in the Route Refinement
Consultation document of November 2016, Page 36. This demonstrates that the
proposed route will see 2 HS2 Lines through Blackwell Parish; the main line
proposed to run to the East of the M1 motorway; and the so-called South
Yorkshire or Sheffield Spur.
But we do not
understand the logic or benefits of the proposal for the Spur line.
In making our case we will refer to three options which have been discussed by various organisations in recent months:
In making our case we will refer to three options which have been discussed by various organisations in recent months:
1.
The Sheffield Spur
2.
The Existing Erewash
Valley and Midland lines
3.
The 2013 proposal for
a Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 Station
1.The Spur Line
linking to the Erewash Valley and Midland Lines to serve Sheffield Midland
Station
We believe that this
is a very “odd” choice for a High Speed Rail Network. It will mean uncoupling
and recoupling trains at Toton in 2035 and for ever, accelerating to the
Derbyshire border, then reducing speed to access the Spur. From the Spur into
Sheffield Midland the current restricted speed will apply.
A network of trains
at restricted Speed on existing tracks laid in Victorian times should not be
included in the legacy of HS2.
Under this proposal there
will never be a High Speed Station to serve the Region of South Yorkshire,
North Derbyshire and North Nottinghamshire.
We believe that economic
stagnation will result within the region should this proposal be accepted.
2.The
Existing Erewash Valley and Midland Lines from Toton to Sheffield Midland
We
have seen the representations from Blackwell Parish Council, which supported by
Derbyshire County Council and Bolsover District Council have put forward an
amendment to the proposed route, and we have seen your response, explaining the
problems of blight and disruption for other communities and the capacity
issues.
We
would not wish to see another community blighted by new proposal, but the
existing line without upgrade to High Speed track may provide an option of
connecting to Sheffield Midland at restricted speed if the capacity issue could
be solved. The speed factor of HS2 has been downgraded to some extent by the
requirements for capacity.
However,
it would not achieve the objective of achieving economic growth through the HS2
project for the region, which is surely the most important consideration.
3.Sheffield
Meadowhall High Speed Station
This was the option of 2013, which underwent consultation and was widely
supported within HS2, the Government and the wider region for 3 years. It is
simply the most logical choice to bring the benefits of HS2, and we believe has
been recently rejected only due to the short-sighted lobbying of Sheffield City
Council. Why have SCC been able to exert so much influence so influence in this
decision?
On the principles of High Speed, Capacity and Connectivity…all the boxes
are ticked by a Sheffield Meadowhall Station.
The whole South Yorkshire, North Derbyshire and North Nottinghamshire
are served by this option, and deprived by the option now proposed.
The opportunity exists to build a state of the art High Speed Station at
Sheffield Meadowhall, which could be showcased to the world.
The reasons now presented for dismissing this opportunity are a sad
comment upon Britain’s Design, Engineering Skills and Entrepreneurship
following Brexit.
Question
HS2 Claims on connectivity, travel times,
capacity
and passenger experience
Kate
Heasman
Connectivity
In 2014 Sir David Higgins described to the Secretary of State for
Transport, who then reported to the Government, that the HS2 stations in both
South Yorkshire and East Midlands were to be ‘hubs’ on the main line to boost
the economy in both regions.
The planned hub at East Midlands (Toton) is to serve and connect to the
East Midlands Region, primarily the cities of Nottingham and Derby. This is
what a station or hub at Sheffield Meadowhall would do – serve and connect the whole
of the South Yorkshire, North Derbyshire, North Nottinghamshire Region.
Information from the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Report 2016 shows how
many passenger journeys were made to/from London. For Sheffield that was
800,000 and for Nottingham and Derby combined was 1.675 million – twice the
number of journeys to/from Sheffield. The hub at Toton will connect the whole
of the East Midlands Region whilst the proposed ‘slow train’ into and out of
Sheffield Midland will selfishly only serve that one city. A station at
Sheffield Meadowhall will capture passengers from a wider area.
A poor service of up to 2 trains per hour is being
considered in the new proposal to serve Sheffield whilst HS2 report that 5
trains per hour (not up to) will run from London/Birmingham to Leeds with
intermediate stops along the way. A stop at Sheffield Meadowhall will therefore
give the South Yorkshire Region superior connectivity to the HS2 network.
A station at Meadowhall would also negate the need for a connection
north of Sheffield to connect back on to the HS2 line and also a proposed Parkway
station, both of which have not been costed.
And silly as it may seem, without the connection north of Sheffield, an
HS2 train will have to go south to go north.
Overall,
Sheffield Meadowhall meets the demands and needs of both people and businesses
of the region as a whole including excellent road, rail and tram connectivity.
Sheffield will never get a High Speed Service unless the station is at
Sheffield Meadowhall.
Travel Times
Travelling on the proposed route into Sheffield would take longer than
it would take to get to Leeds. HS2
timings reveal that it would still be quicker to get into Sheffield with a
station at Meadowhall. 85 minutes using the slower speed spur line. 79 minutes
using continuous high speed to Sheffield Meadowhall (information taken from HS2
documents)
The Sheffield and South Yorkshire 2016 Report also mentions that
Barnsley and Rotherham could achieve shorter travel times to London by
connecting to what would be a slow HS2 train at Sheffield Midland. However,
travel time along with that from Wakefield and surrounding area would achieve
an even greater saving on time if they made their connection at Sheffield
Meadowhall. This would be a saving whether they travelled to Sheffield
Meadowhall by road, rail, tram or the new tram/train which has recently been
unveiled and which will serve additional stops in the Rotherham area.
Example: A Journey from Barnsley
to London.
The current average journey time is 2hours 45minutes (including change
at Sheffield).
Changing at Sheffield Midland to proceed on HS2 Classic Compatible train
could take on average 1hour 50minutes depending on transfer times – 25minutes
Barnsley to Sheffield + 85 minutes on HS2 train.
Changing at Sheffield Meadowhall to proceed on a Captive train could
take on average 1hour 27minutes depending on transfer times – 18 minutes to
Sheffield Meadowhall + 69 minutes on HS2 train.
By travelling via Sheffield Meadowhall there is a time saving of up to 1hour
18minutes – half the current journey time.
Considerable savings on journey times to London can also be achieved
when travelling from Rotherham and Wakefield via Sheffield Meadowhall.
(Average current journey times taken from ‘TheTrainline.com’)
Investigations have shown that the service to Sheffield in the new
proposal will be a 400 metre train until it gets to Toton where the carriages
will de-couple, with one train travelling on at high speed to Leeds and the
other at slower speeds just to serve Sheffield City. With inconsistent timings
being given by HS2 as to how long this de-coupling will take this could
dramatically increase the journey time to Sheffield Midland. This would also
mean that two sets of crew would be needed. The most cost effective solution
would be to run one ‘Captive’ train on the one main HS2 line.
The time
effective solution for all passengers is to run the one ‘Captive Train’ to/from
Sheffield Meadowhall.
Passenger
Experience/Capacity
HS2’s objective is ‘to deliver to customers a level of journey
experience that sets new global benchmarks for service excellence’.
Passengers will want to experience a state of the art
station both at the start and end of their journey. Plans for Euston show this
will be the case – one at Meadowhall would provide this.
Fast forward to 2033. With trains having to de-couple at Toton this will
not only cause passenger confusion but will also limit passenger capacity to
Sheffield Midland.
5 ‘Captive’ trains per hour will be on the main line. This will give
increased capacity and additional options for passenger travel.
HS2 want to average less than a 30 second delay on its network. When the
spur line joins the Midland Main Line it will be relying on other track users
not to cause an obstruction.
Network Rail have already regarded the current rail network around
Sheffield Midland as a ‘bottleneck’ and identified it as a ‘red stress level’
and also has one of the highest capacity restraints anywhere on the existing
rail network. This will do nothing to
help HS2 achieve its maximum 30 second delay.
Only a station
at Sheffield Meadowhall using Captive Trains will provide the high frequency,
high capacity and the highest level of passenger experience to the South
Yorkshire Region which is HS2’s and the Government’s main objective of the
whole project.
Sheffield
Meadowhall – the logical choice
Graham Heasman
Why a Sheffield City Centre station is not
the answer:
It
would ensure that Sheffield City would never be served by a high speed
rail service.
‘The
Northern Connection’ suggestion by HS2 is not a costed project or even planned.
It
would offer no high speed connectivity to other cities of the Northern
Powerhouse.
Offers
minimal economic benefit to the other South Yorkshire towns and cities.
A
suggested parkway station north of Sheffield is not a costed project or even
planned.
As
previously highlighted, this ‘spur line’ requires the train to split at Toton
resulting in the extra ongoing costs of the network paying for two train crews
instead of one.
Pulling
first class rail passengers onto HS2 trains reduces profitability of existing
franchises on traditional lines, resulting in a potential reduction of the
regular train services.
A
Sheffield Midland station served by this proposed spur line on a previous
century’s railway line is a piecemeal attempt at appeasing the few to the
detriment of the majority
Some reasons why Sheffield Meadowhall
makes sound business sense:
It
will ensure that the city of Sheffield will be able to enjoy the benefits of
this new inter- connected high speed rail service.
Sheffield
Meadowhall will be a full ‘High Speed’ station, providing ease of access to an
additional 410,000 inhabitants from the other South Yorkshire towns and cities.
As
a high speed train ‘hub’ it has readymade transport links all of the South
Yorkshire Region.
Attract
new technical businesses and modern industries to many of the surrounding brown
field sites, creating new jobs, apprenticeships and career opportunities for
the WHOLE of the region of South Yorkshire, not just Sheffield.
This
solution could also contribute to slowing the population migration from north
to south of the U.K.
LOCAL FACTS
& CONCERNS REGARDING THE HS2 PROPOSAL FOR A SPUR LINE THROUGH NEWTON
Gary Smith
I want to share with you some facts and
concerns about the HS2 proposal to introduce a spur line that goes through
Newton.
You will have already heard by now that
we fail to see any real
benefit from this proposal, in fact the evidence only points to a substandard
rail line offering a second rate service to Sheffield Midland station. You will have also heard by now that the original
proposal of a state of the art iconic station at Sheffield Meadowhall would far better serve the wider South
Yorkshire region, with reduced journey times on a “truly high speed” train.
HS2 are not looking at the proposed
spur line with the wider regions best economic interest at heart.HS2 cannot
seriously be wanting to provide Sheffield with a train that merely has a HS2
logo on it!!
I would like to share with you the way in
which my family and neighbours found out about the proposed spur line. As a home owner that is in the direct path of the spur, I was
distressed and disgusted to find out from a guy in the local pub that my home
of 20+ years could be demolished, this is
the home where we have raised our
children in, the home that we have worked hard for and the home that we love.
Subsequently, we attempted to research what we had verbally been told on the
Hs2 website, but could not find any information regarding this “new” proposal,
nor could we find at the outset why the original proposal had changed. After all, in our minds we had accepted the
fact the Newton would be affected by the HS2 line to the East of the village,
and could see that this would be of benefit to the region. We are not “NIMBYs”
The distress and lack of REAL information from the
outset has been intolerable, whilst we have attended three HS2 events, the
detail we are desperately seeking is not available, this coupled with the lack
of consistency in the information being provided is only adding to the stress
we are feeling. Not least the inadequate
compensation being offered to homes within the safeguarded zone. I include here
maps which may help you in understanding our comments and concerns.
This map is an extract from HS2’s
SG-02-223 showing the safe guarded zone through Old Blackwell and Newton. We
can demonstrate that 22 residential properties exist and another 10 are in the
final stages of construction.
This picture is the same map enlarged to show the safeguarded zone at
Alfreton Road, Newton, where I and my neighbours live.
These maps are included to demonstrate
that HS2 have misinformed you about the number of properties that lie within
the “safeguarded zone” in Blackwell Parish, and therefore blighted. It is not 5
homes, it is 22 homes on Alfreton Road, with another 10 nearing construction as
shown in the next part of the presentation. It may be that at the time you
asked Hs2, there were only 5 Applications for Blight made by owner occupiers.
We understand that the line may not
require all properties within the zone to be demolished, and HS2 have been
unable to state how many will have to go. However, they have confirmed that at
Alfreton Road a “Cut and Cover “tunnel is to be constructed. From Hs2
Engineering papers it can be established from the depth of the cutting, the
width of the finished track and the Health and Safety requirements of digging a
cutting, that the width of the cutting at Alfreton Road level will be at least
77 metres; this assumes that all earth movement and construction work can be
undertaken within the 19metre finished track width.
This is an extract from HS2
engineering map HSL15A highlighting the expected cutting width at Alfreton
Road. On this it is stated as shown “HS2 crossing under Alfreton Road-120 m”.
HS2 Engineering reports also state that
the ground excavation width may have to be increased in areas of Coal Measures.
From this research we have concluded
that if the proposal goes ahead we will see 20 dwellings removed from Alfreton
Road and not the 5 as HS2 have advised.
If there are 4 times the number of
dwellings to be removed in Alfreton Road Newton alone, than HS2 believe, the
calculation of cost savings from their proposals must be seriously questioned. HS2 have clearly failed to make the necessary
cost benefit analysis on the alleged 1 billion saving in delivering the
proposed spur line.
HS2 must surely be held accountable for
failing to investigate this eleventh hour proposal in greater depth, after all
we are in the 21st Century and HS2 are proposing 19th
Century solutions!!!
I hope that you will take on board the
information provided and that it will help you and your team to make a more
informed decision on this preposterous proposal.
The Impact to the Newly Built Newton Fields Estate
The Impact to the Newly Built Newton Fields Estate
Hannah Boyle
I
am going to share with you local information about a recent housing development
in Newton which the spur line is proposed to go through.
·
Proud
that I and my husband worked hard and saved tirelessly to buy our first home on
this development. We chose the beautiful Newton to relocate to and the perfect
place to plan and to raise a family. Our
home is metres away from the proposed spur line.
·
At
the time of purchase, we knew about the main line from Toton to Sheffield
Meadowhall but accepted this because we could see how a truly high speed rail
would benefit the whole country.
·
HOWEVER, the additional Spur line
through the village, along with the loss of homes; instant crash in house
prices; mental stress and years of disruptive construction, cannot be accepted
as a logical choice BECAUSE
o
Of
archaic technology
o
Does
not provide increased capacity as the train would have to decouple at Toton
o
Does
not travel at high speed as the train will be braking all the way through the
village ready to join Victorian lines
·
Please
consider: Is this really the best technological solution we can offer the passenger?
Can Britain really be proud of such
infrastructure?
·
This
is the plan provided by the developers of the 40 houses on this phase of the
housing development some are occupied and others still under construction.
·
Worryingly,
these 40 houses ARE NOT on HS2's map
released in November 2016 and as late as February, HS2 were still not aware of
some of these houses.
·
This
shows HS2’s negligence and lack of understanding in this part of Newton.
·
There
are 10 houses still under construction in safeguarded zone. These 10 are part
of the 32 houses in the safeguarded zone in Newton.
·
None
of these 10 are included in the so-called '5 houses' that need to be demolished
reported by yourself and HS2.
·
In
a freedom of information response, HS2 propose to buy and let these ten properties out.
·
BUT,
confusingly, HS2 have confirmed in a 1:1 meeting that they cannot fully guarantee that these won't need to be demolished after
further detailed plans have been drawn.
·
Either way it's a lose-lose
situation
either:
o
They
buy the houses resulting in extra expenditure eating into the supposed
£1billion saving this spur line offers. This
also begs the question what else have HS2 missed? How can they quote a
£1Billion saving?
o
Or
demolish houses which have been built and never lived in. This would be absurd
and counter intuitive given the government's ambitious target of building 1
million homes by 2020.
Compensation
·
I
am aware that you may be thinking “but there are robust compensation schemes
and property buying strategies in place to mitigate housing impact risks”. I need to tell you that we have a shocking
instance in Newton in which one particular resident needs to sell . They have been treated
appallingly by HS2, who have broken promise after promise and made proving
blight and exceptional circumstances impossible. I'm sure you will hear more on
the details of this case as it has been passed on to Mr. Dennis Skinner for
further investigation. All of this shows
that the residents of Newton and the surrounding areas do not have faith in,
and cannot rely on the compensation schemes offered by HS2.
HS2 Through
Blackwell Parish – Environmental Impact Statement
Andrew
Burrows
Newton is a
small, former mining village of around 1,800 people which has one shop, one
church, one community hall and two pubs. There are a number of listed buildings
(one dating to the 17th Century), and others of merit within 500m of
the proposed HS2 Spur. These are in a Conservation Area, which HS2 is proposing
to ride roughshod across.
The proposed
route of the HS2 Spur will also cut across 7 roads, 3 multi-use nature trails,
cause the demolition of up to 32 homes and destroy Doe Hill Country Park. HS2
have only committed to
restoring access to 3 roads, two of which are the M1 and A38. Some of the minor
roads, the trails and the park are likely to be cut forever. These trails and
the Country Park are used by many people and help make Blackwell Parish a
popular area to live in.
The 50ha Doe
Hill Country Park will be destroyed by the HS2 Spur, which will cut through the
park at its highest point, creating a 20m deep, 120m wide cutting through
recently established woodland.
Sheffield City
Council promote a green transport policy but the truth is that if HS2 trains
were to go to Sheffield Midland Station, the amount of car traffic into the
city would grow and therefore, increase pollution. The general rule of thumb
for cities is “People In-Traffic Out” but the reality is (just as with an
airport), most will use a car to reach a HS2 station.
The success of
Sheffield Meadowhall as a commercial and retail centre has been built on its
ease of access. HS2 Ltd, it’s boss, Sir David Higgins, Nick Clegg, Sir
Patrick Mcloughlin and ALL the South
Yorkshire local authorities (except Sheffield City Council),
supported the 2013 plan of a HS2 station at Sheffield Meadowhall. It was, and
still is, the greenest and most cost-effective way of serving the greatest number
of people in the South Yorkshire/North Midlands region. Can they all be wrong
and just Sheffield City Council right?
Neither
Nottingham or Derby have lobbied for a City Centre HS2 station; they have
embraced the fact that the East Midlands Hub at Toton would serve both their
interests and keep traffic away from their city centres. If this scenario is
acceptable in the East Midlands, why is it not for South Yorkshire?
As a community,
we understand the post BREXIT need for progress and to generate economic
growth. Having the ‘real’ High Speed line pass to the East of our village will
cause disruption, especially as it crosses the M1, but this will be
tolerable.
However, we do
not understand the need, logic or financial decision of building a fake, slow
spur line to satisfy the vanity of Sheffield City Council. This Spur line will
devastate our community, our environment and consign future
generations to live imprisoned in the jaws of a flawed project.
Closing Statement
Tony Mellors
In closing our presentation, I would like to list key issues:
The recommended proposal means that Blackwell Parish and our villages
are to suffer 2 HS2 lines and the community is seriously threatened by many
factors concerned with the construction and existence of these lines
As we looked into this proposal, we became more and more convinced that
the proposal to cancel the route through Sheffield Meadowhall, and to divert
High Speed Trains onto Slow Speed Tracks into Sheffield Midland has no
economic, or social benefit for either the wider region or indeed for Sheffield
City itself.
In the new post Brexit world we must not let ignorance or short
sightedness rule.
We hope you can appreciate that the case we have presented, demonstrates
a sensible analysis of the HS2 proposals on grounds of
· Economic Growth for the Region
· Transport Networks for the Region
· Environmental issues
· As well as local concerns
And I come back to the subject of HS2
in our region… the legacy of HS2…is it to be a Rail Network fit for the 21st
Century and beyond, or is it to be mired in criticism for not meeting its
principles of High Speed, Capacity and Connectivity?
I
want to thank you again Minister on behalf of today’s speakers and on behalf of
thousands of Blackwell Parishioners for listening to us today; We are very
happy to invite you to our parish at any time and we hope we have helped rather
than hindered the decision you and the Secretary of State have to make.
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