Liverpool wants piece of HS2 action
CAMPAIGNERS for a direct high speed rail link into Liverpool say the massive investment into a Manchester development site proves the benefit of rapid connectivity.
The decision to relocate up to 430,000sq ft of government offices – dubbed the Whitehall of the North – to the Mayfield site adjacent to Manchester’s Piccadilly Station is another major boost to the city at the heart of the proposed HS2 scheme.
Regionally, the Mayfield site has been seen as direct competition for the Pall Mall/Exchange Station area adjacent to Liverpool’s Commercial District which has also been earmarked as an opportunity for civil service relocation.
Business-led campaign group 20 Miles More and public policy think tank ResPublica believe the announcement underscores the competitive disadvantage Liverpool will face unless it secures a direct link to HS2.
The city’s case for high speed rail is being supported by a major report being undertaken by ResPublica on behalf of the Mayor of Liverpool and other key public agencies.
ResPublica’s Liverpool-born director director Phillip Blond said: “If this happens it is a massive boost for Manchester city centre and its economy. It would be a single-deal equivalent to the entire volume of commercial offices let in Liverpool last year.
“The Mayfield project has been developed as part of an integrated city region economic strategy and has been supported by all its authorities and public agencies.
“The same economic strategy has also underpinned Manchester’s case for both HS2 and HS3. We need to develop a similarly integrated approach in Liverpool and that’s why I agree with Mayor (Joe) Anderson that a Metro-Mayor could provide us with the clout and coherence we need to compete.
20 Miles More, which launched Liverpool’s original public campaign for an HS2 link, called the decision depressing and predictable. Chair Andrew Morris said: “There is a similar opportunity in Liverpool at Pall Mall on the edge of our Commercial District which would probably be a more cost effective solution to government departments struggling under the burden of austerity.
“If we have similar assets and opportunities here, there must be another reason why yet again the investment is going to Manchester. Better connectivity must be a major part of the explanation.”
