Member Article

Civic and business leaders in Leeds urge government to approve HS2

Leeds business leaders as well as the Leader of Leeds City Council have urged the government to give formal approval for HS2 when it is discussed again this week.

President of Leeds Chamber of Commerce, Gerald Jennings and Leader of Leeds City Council Judith Blake have both called for the government to greenlight the project, citing the economic benefits it will bring to Leeds and the North as a whole.

The parliamentary Bill for the first phase of HS2 is to be given its third reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday, where MPs will debate and vote on the first part of the rail link connecting London and Birmingham.

A second phase, which would see the line split as it heads north to Leeds and Manchester, is currently being developed by the government and HS2 Ltd, the company responsible for developing the new high-speed line.

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said: “We’d like to see all elements of the HS2 project approved as soon as possible so building work can start without delay.

“HS2 and HS3 offer transformational opportunities for the local, regional and national economy, so it’s essential they are completed in their entirety to ensure maximum economic benefit is achieved.

“In Leeds we will continue to press for full approval and for building work to start from the north, rather than from the south. That would bring the economic benefits to the north sooner, in line with the commitment to use HS2 to rebalance the national economy.”

The economic boost of an eastern leg of HS2, travelling from Birmingham to Leeds, is estimated to be in the region of £4.2bn and will bring five of the 10 largest city regions in the UK with a total population of 12 million people.

It is this sort of potential that excites Gerald Jennings, who believes the city is already seeing more investment opportunities as excitement for an eastern leg of HS2 ramps up.

He added: “Although it is still some time before HS2 reaches Leeds already we are seeing investment activity in the city and an excitement from our membership keen to ensure this once in a generation opportunity captures maximum economic benefit.

“Following the announcement in autumn 2015 that the preferred option will be for a single station, dubbed the Yorkshire Hub, there is a buzz about how the city centre and South Bank Leeds might develop off the back of vastly improved connectivity to other core cities and regions.

“The announcement by Burberry to locate close to the station will, I’m sure, be followed by others over the coming years. Of course HS2 won’t get to Leeds unless it gets to Birmingham first and we urge our MPs to attend the debate and show their support.”