High Speed Link Impact on Lichfield District

Christopher Pincher says united front needed to ensure railway plans do not damage local communities

Following the announcement of government plans to build a high speed rail link between London and Birmingham, Shenstone, Stonnall and Elford’s Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman Christopher Pincher, said:  

 “Whilst the High Speed Link will clearly be good for the country, we must be careful to ensure it causes as little disruption to local communities as possible.  Though the second phase of the project which will take the link north of Birmingham has yet to be scheduled, I will submit detailed questions to the Department for Transport so we discover as much as possible as soon as possible.”  

The Department’s proposals state:  

To the east of Birmingham, the line would cross the M6 south of Coleshill. The line would curve to avoid the village of Whitacre Heath, Shustoke Reservoirs and the SSSI of Whitacre Heath Nature Reserve, with speeds restricted to 300kph. The route would rejoin the WCML north west of Tamworth, avoiding the settlements of Middleton, Bangley and Mile Oak, as well as Drayton Manor Park and Hopwas Hays Wood.  

Mr. Pincher continued: “However, there is no mention of any affect on Hints, Weeford or Swinfen nor Combeford.  These communities have already had to deal with threats of more quarrying so the last thing they need is more uncertainty.  The government needs to be clear what its plans mean for our community.”  

“I agree with Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield, that we need to mount a united front to ensure that the least detrimental alternative is proposed to the Planning Enquiry whenever it is convened.  Though the construction of the line is the best part of a decade away, we should begin the campaign soon.”