The Chair of the HS2 project, David Higgins has reported this mornign that, in his opinion, the controversial rail link should be “accelerated” through Parliament and completed at least three years ahead of schedule.  Chief Executive of the Chamber of Commerce for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, George Cowcher, reacted with the following statement:

“HS2 is the only option on the table at the moment to increase capacity for travel between London and the north of England. Increasing capacity is not optional, it must happen to ensure regions outside London, specifically the East Midlands, are not disadvantaged by poor connectivity.

“What we don’t want is for Birmingham or Crewe and Manchester to get the improved connectivity of HS2 and for the East Midlands and Yorkshire never to see it. Work on the route should be carried out in both directions simultaneously to ensure the project is delivered ahead of the original schedule and within budget - there can be no blank cheque.

 “The East Midlands is the only region where the decision has not been made about the location of its HS2 hub. It is essential that this decision is made as soon as possible so that work can begin on the necessary infrastructure and other connectivity with the new line.”   

Interestingly, whilst this statement from Mr Crowther suggests that the East Midlands Hub location hasn't yet been decided, the HS2 website suggests the hub will be located at Toton, equi-distant between Derby and Nottingham.

The route will then continue north following the M1 corridor up towards Sheffield, so skirting right along the edge of our local area. It will be interesting to see the exact plans for how and where the line will run - will it be to the West of the motorway, and cut through Kimberley, or to the East and run through Nuthall?  Either way there is likely to be significant disruption to the daily travels of many local people whilst it is built. 

The website states that this development will create 1500 - 1600 permanent jobs in the area, bring journey times to London down to just 51 minutes and bring £2 of income for every £1 invested.

But what do you think?  

* Will the benefits to the region actually materialise, or will this just serve to further centralise the economy of the UK down to London? 

* Where should the East Midlands Station be located?

* And if the route of the link up to Sheffield is to follow the M1, where shoudl it run through our area? Should it be contained in a tunnel or open across our countryside? 

We'd be really interested in your thoughts, so do leave us your comments below.