October 11th 2018

The Leader of Derby City Council has given his backing to the launch of a consultation with local communities in the Midlands, as HS2 Ltd today revealed more detailed design proposals.

Councillor Chris Poulter, Leader of Derby City Council said:

“We welcome the launch of this consultation; it’s certainly a big step towards improving connectivity across the Midlands.

“Whist I’m aware that there have been some concerns about the impact of HS2; we mustn’t lose sight of the benefits to Derby, and the wider Midlands area.

“It’s thought that 2,500 workers in Derby could be involved in the manufacturing work related to HS2. Given our famous manufacturing background, this would be another significant gain for the city. Over half of national manufacturing employment is in the East Midlands, and two thirds of this is here in Derby – let’s keep it that way.

“Alongside manufacturing roles, 13,350 additional jobs are expected to be created, worth an estimated £575 million, as a result of the project.

“As always, we’ll be encouraging our residents, businesses and stakeholders to take part in this consultation.”

Over the next ten weeks, communities can respond to HS2 Ltd’s designs and proposed mitigation measures for the Phase 2b route. Responses are invited from the public on HS2 Ltd’s:

Working Draft Environmental Statement, which describes the design of the railway and reports on the impacts of its construction and operation, alongside the measures proposed to reduce and monitor these impacts.
Working Draft Equality Impact Assessment Report, which considers the potential effects of the construction and operation of the railway on people with protected characteristics.

The public consultations will be supported by a programme of community events. Those taking place in the Derby area include:

  • Thursday 1 November  14:00 – 20:00 Measham Measham Leisure Centre, High Street, Measham, Swadlincote DE12 7HR
  • Thursday 15 November 14:00 – 20:00 Kegworth Best Western Yew Lodge Hotel, Packington Hill, Kegworth, DE74 2DF
  • Friday 7 December 14:00 – 20:00 Long Eaton West Park Leisure Centre, Wilsthorpe Road, Long Eaton, Nottingham, NG10 4AA

To find out more about the Phase 2b public consultations: www.gov.uk/hs2 or for more information about HS2 in the Derby area and the Phase 2b programme www.hs2.org.uk/phase2b