HS2 depot confirmation a disaster for Birmingham, says MP Byrne
BIRMINGHAM Labour MP and former government minister Liam Byrne has slammed a decision by the Government to build a depot for the HS2 high-speed rail scheme on industrial land in the Washwood Heath area of the city.
The opportunity to create new jobs in an unemployment blackspot will be lost due to the plans said Byrne – who is the MP for the Hodge Hill constituency which covers the site of the planned depot.
Birmingham City Council had previously earmarked the area – the site of the former LDV and Alston factories – for an industrial park.
But the Government’s plans for HS2 published yesterday confirmed it will be turned into a maintenance depot for trains, creating about 650 jobs.
Byrne said industrial development on the site that could support up to 7,000 jobs.
On his website Byrne described the decision as disastrous news. “The entire LDV-Alstom site is going to be locked up for nearly a decade as a dumpyard for HS2′s builders, and thereafter for a marshalling yard,” he said.
“It’s a hammer-blow for Birmingham’s inner city, wiping out the chance to create up to 7,000 jobs in the middle of Britain’s worst unemployment hotspot.
“They have simply refused to listen to Birmingham’s case to move the marshalling yard somewhere better. Hundreds of jobs on the site are now in long-term doubt.”
Byrne said he will be meeting Birmingham City Council leader Sir Albert Bore and the city’s regeneration chiefs today to “discuss our fightback”.
Birmingham City Council said it had continued to raise concerns with HS2 Ltd – which is managing the project on behalf of the Government – about the impact of the Washwood Heath depot on the supply of industrial land in the city.
In a statement, HS2 Ltd said Birmingham would see “huge benefits from being at the centre of Britain’s high speed rail network”.
It added: “There will be around 8,500 jobs created at the two new stations at Curzon Street and by the airport, as well as the 650 jobs at the Washwood Heath maintenance site.”
It was also announced yesterday that a new tunnel for HS2 will be built in the Bromford area of Birmingham. This is instead of a plan to divert the River Tame.
