Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Director of City Development providing an update on the Government’s proposals for HS2 and which seeks endorsement of the proposed City Council submission to the Department for Transport’s consultation on the initial preferred route and station proposals.

Further to Minute No. 176, 15^th February 2013, the Director of City Development submitted a report providing an update on the Government’s proposals for HS2 and which sought endorsement of the proposed City Council submission to the Department for Transport’s consultation exercise on the initial preferred route and station proposals.

The draft submission to the HS2 Phase 2 consultation exercise was appended to the submitted report for Board Members’ consideration.

Responding to a question, the Board was provided with clarification regarding the consistency of the representations which had been made by the Council in respect of the HS2 route and potential alternatives to it, together with the compensation arrangements. Regarding the compensation arrangements, emphasis was placed upon the need for such arrangements to be resolved at the earliest opportunity.

The Board discussed and noted the potential range of benefits which could be realised from the development, including improved connectivity throughout the city region, increased capacity upon the network, increased transportation of freight via rail and associated regeneration, jobs and skills opportunities.  Members also noted the benefits from a coherent approach being adopted by the relevant authorities within the north of England.

RESOLVED -

(a)  That the contents of the submitted report be noted.

(b)  That the proposed submission to the HS2 Phase 2 consultation,

as set out within the appendix to the submitted report be approved, subject to any final amendments.

(c)  That the final submission of the response by the deadline date of 31st January 2014 be delegated to the Director of City Development.

(Under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.5, Councillor Golton required it to be recorded that he abstained from voting on the decisions taken above)

(The matters referred to within this minute were designated by the Board as being exempt from Call In, due to the fact that the decisions arising from this report were deemed as urgent, given that the submission deadline for the consultation document is 31^st January 2014. The Call In process would not enable the submission deadline to be met by the Council, and it is deemed that not meeting this deadline may prejudice the Council’s or the public’s interest)