Campaign grows to switch the building of HS2 station to Sheffield city

[sadbrewer 20]

The decision to have a Sheffield Spur has nothing whatsoever to do with SCC.

They did not want it.

They did not plan for it.

 

 

 

 

That statement though , suggests Sheffield City Council is somehow an unwitting victim , in reality it is little more than a smokescreen , designed to deflect blame and conceal a real

truth . The truth is that SCC spent £190k of public money to move genuine 21st century high speed rail away from Meadowhall , losing genuine Hs2 and it's advantages to 'partner ' Borough's in the Sheffield City Region , knowing full well , that genuine full speed , full capacity , City Centre Hs2 was not achievable .

 

I repeat what Higgins said to Govt .

 

Sir David Higgins, chairman of HS2 Ltd, told parliament's Economic Affairs Committee last year: "Something that I keep coming back to when we have this debate in Sheffield and in other areas is that we are building a spine; we are building a motorway, not an A-road. Therefore, it will defeat the purpose if this railway line has to weave through every city .''

Higgins could not have made it clearer .....perhaps SCC either didn't listen or didn't believe him.

[tinfoilhat 11]

Well, SCC didn't get what they wanted. That's obvious. Does that mean their arguments were "ignored completely"? Who can say? Not me, and certainly not you.

 

I hold no brief for SCC. I'm merely wondering what grounds there are to blame SCC for HS2's change of mind on Meadowhall.

 

And I'm expressing surprise that given HS2's stated reasons for changing its mind on Meadowhall, as expressed in the document I linked to, anyone would think that if only SCC had said nothing at all, Meadowhall would still be the favoured option.

 

Just for the record, here is what HS2 say:

 

 

 

and

 

 

---------- Post added 04-01-2017 at 19:48 ----------

 

 

I have trouble with the notion that SCC had a veto of this kind, and that their advocacy of "Sheffield Victoria" was enough to scupper the Meadowhall option on its own.

 

I think if HS2 Ltd really wanted to build at Meadowhall, they would have stuck to that plan. SCC's preferences were not cited by HS2 Ltd as one of the reasons for change.

 

So again, what actual evidence is there that the position of SCC changed HS2's mind?

 

---------- Post added 04-01-2017 at 19:50 ----------

 

 

I'm not making any claims about what influence SCC may or may not have had, except to observe that their lobbying for "Sheffield Victoria" obviously failed.

 

What I'm asking for is evidence that SCC's position was what made HS2 dump the Meadowhall option. HS2 give other reasons.

 

I'm curious how all those reasons HS2 stated that put them off Meadowhall aren't as big an issue as a Sheffield city centre. I'd love to see their figures.

[geared 305]

I'm not making any claims about what influence SCC may or may not have had, except to observe that their lobbying for "Sheffield Victoria" obviously failed.

 

What I'm asking for is evidence that SCC's position was what made HS2 dump the Meadowhall option. HS2 give other reasons.

 

If the council do not want a Meadowhall location it makes it very easy for HS2 to dump that option, save some cash and avoid any more bad publicity over the decision.

There will be many technical challenges involved with delivering the entire HS2 project, building a station at Meadowhall would just be one of many.

 

The costs had been budgeted for, but saving a billion quid is saving a billion quid.

[hodgepig66 10]

Have any of you who have given comments and opinions actually been to any of the hs2 meetings.?

How many of you are actually affected by this as in a cpo against your home.

 

I know a number of people who have got a cpo and are totally devastated by this joke of a project.

 

Seriously you can't believe a word that hs2 say they change their facts and reasons every 2 minutes. They are unbelievably so unprofessional, can not answer questions when asked.

 

The figures and promises they come up with may as well be pulled out of thin air, the government just give lip service, the project is full of egotistical people who are trying to tag along on the band wagon to look good.

 

For those of you who think why are people so against it,and people will get compensation money means jack when you've bought your dream house and love where you live.

 

So put your self in other peoples shoes whose lives have been totally turned upside down, and live in limbo.

 

How can the government justify that amount of money when they are cost cutting so many other things, nhs, schools, old peoples homes etc priorities all wrong.

 

Am I against HS2 Hell yes i am.

[Bilge 34]

Have any of you who have given comments and opinions actually been to any of the hs2 meetings.?

How many of you are actually affected by this as in a cpo against your home.

 

I know a number of people who have got a cpo and are totally devastated by this joke of a project.

 

Seriously you can't believe a word that hs2 say they change their facts and reasons every 2 minutes. They are unbelievably so unprofessional, can not answer questions when asked.

 

The figures and promises they come up with may as well be pulled out of thin air, the government just give lip service, the project is full of egotistical people who are trying to tag along on the band wagon to look good.

 

For those of you who think why are people so against it,and people will get compensation money means jack when you've bought your dream house and love where you live.

 

So put your self in other peoples shoes whose lives have been totally turned upside down, and live in limbo.

 

How can the government justify that amount of money when they are cost cutting so many other things, nhs, schools, old peoples homes etc priorities all wrong.

 

Am I against HS2 Hell yes i am.

 

I feel for you and people like you. Hopefully you will be fully compensated if this goes ahead. But we have to weigh your situation (and other buildings in its path) against the wider benefit over the next 100 years or so.

 

Or maybe you think there should never be any new railways built or any development of anything if it involves CPOs?

[FriedChicken 10]

So if, as is most likely, we don't get a central HS2 station. Would we still get, as part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative, upgraded/faster trains on existing lines to Leeds and Manchester as I think that is far more important. At least jobs wise, if we could get to Manchester or Leeds in 30 mins by train that would help as both cities are great for jobs as opposed to Sheffield.

[geared 305]

IIRC the talk about future HS3 was a fast line between Leeds and Manchester, little to no mention of Sheffield.

 

At some point the line is going to need to go to Newcastle as well, so I can imagine Sheffield slipping down the list of priorities.

[Dan_Ashcroft 10]

This is the HS3 map: http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/78559000/gif/_78559279_hs2_624_v12.gif

[byeo 10]

This is the HS3 map: http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/78559000/gif/_78559279_hs2_624_v12.gif

 

or "possible" map as the actual picture states.

[Flexo 10]

Here is the High Speed UK map (Scroll down).

 

It is superior to HS2+HS3 in every way.

[DnAuK 10]

IIRC the talk about future HS3 was a fast line between Leeds and Manchester, little to no mention of Sheffield.

 

At some point the line is going to need to go to Newcastle as well, so I can imagine Sheffield slipping down the list of priorities.

 

The HS plan for the region has always been to have regular, 30 minute journeys between Sheffield and Leeds / Sheffield and Manchester. There was some argument that stated a new spur linking Sheffield to back up to the HS2 line heading north would achieve the first ambition. There was also another story which stated that if the HS2 station had gone in at Victoria it would put an end to the second ambition. Although I'm not quite sure why that was.

[swordsman 10]

Meadowhall would have won it because there wasn't a single dissenting voice...except SCC.

Hs2 wanted it , MP's wanted it , Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Transport Forum wanted it ,

Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council's all wanted it ....no one voice except Cllr. Dore and her Sheffield Labour Party colleaues

 

I don't think the residents of Killamarsh, Beighton, Swallownest, Woodhouse Mill, Catcliffe, Waverley, Tinsley, Wincobank, Shiregreen, and Chapeltown were keen on the Meadowhall route. Not to mention the workers at Morrisons in Catcliffe, Boundary Mills, JTF, about half a dozen office blocks in Sheffield Business Park, and the giant SIRFT warehouse, all of which were due to be demolished.