Agenda item

Further to a Motion unanimously passed by Council in September 2016 objecting to the new Government proposal for the High Speed 2 Route in South Yorkshire, the Mayor introduced this report.  It was reported that the Government had launched a consultation on Property and Route Refinement and the final response to this consultation had to be submitted by 9th March, 2017.  The Mayor outlined that the proposed Council response would be in line with the position agreed by Members at Council and the paper before them was for endorsement and comment prior to its submission.

The report presented to Members outlined the key issues that would be addressed as part of the consultation response.  The new proposals would have a major impact on local residents and communities, particularly in Mexborough and Barnburgh.  Additionally, the Sheffield Midland Spur Option would:-

·         Provide fewer and smaller trains, giving fewer seats for Sheffield City Region passengers and reducing service frequency;

·         Offer inferior connectivity to other major cities; and

·         Increase journey times.

The Mayor stated that in her view, the facts made the proposals entirely unacceptable.  Furthermore, since the Council had passed its Motion in September, further information had come to light that only served to reinforce the view that it was unacceptable.  Members noted that far from saving the £1 billion predicted with the Sheffield Midland Spur, the new proposal would actually cost more than the Meadowhall route; both to develop and operate.  Moreover, the Mayor reported that the Meadowhall option would hopefully look to deliver 1000 extra jobs and more than £350 million in GVA to the region compared with the Sheffield Midland option.

In terms of the residents of the Shimmer Estate who would be affected by the route, the Mayor stated that the consultation packages proposed to ensure that they were no worse off as a result were not enough and the Council was calling on HS2 to address this issue.

The Mayor concluded her presentation of the report by stating that the proposals were not acceptable in any way to either Doncaster or the wider region, and asked Members in the Chamber to endorse the Council’s approach.

Also in attendance at the meeting, were Neil Firth, Head of Service for Major Projects and Investment, and David Pownall, Senior Project Manager, HS2, who provided Members with an informative presentation which went into great depth and explained in detail, the proposal and its impact, along with the Council’s analysis of the HS2 Proposals.  Following the presentation, Members were afforded the opportunity to speak on this item and a number of issues were raised.

A number of Members raised concerns in respect of the impact on residents in the Borough, largely in Mexborough on the Shimmer Estate, and also in other areas including Barnburgh, Clayton, Sprotbrough and Hickleton.  Strong concerns were voiced that the compensation proposed simply did not go far enough to balance the cost, disturbance and upset to people’s lives.  Several Members requested that further weight be added to this in the Council’s response, in order to reinforce the devastating impact of the proposal on residents in the Borough. Significant parts of the Shimmer Estate would be affected with upheaval that could not be compensated for fairly and Members were in agreement that any proposed compensation should be considered under special circumstances, and not based on the figures originally quoted as being ‘fair and reasonable’ in the original scheme. 

Additionally, it was requested that a quick and timely decision on the proposal be made as a priority as currently, people’s lives were ‘in limbo’ whilst they waited for the final outcome. 

Members also identified environmental and planning concerns such as the impact on Green Belt, wildlife and habitat, disregard for Planning Policy, wildlife and conservation strategies and conservation and ecology statements.  It was a project of national significance and therefore, should look to deliver national benefits, but there was the feeling that this was not the case, with utter disregard for the people affected.

Members commended the Mayor and Officers for all their hard work and determination in the preparation of the Council’s approach, and Officers agreed to take forward the points raised prior to the submission of the Council’s response on 9th March, 2017.

RESOLVED that the Council’s approach presented to the Government’s consultations on their new High Speed Rail Proposals, as set out within the body of the report, be endorsed.