Lord says government is ‘failing’ Shropshire residents over HS2

Shadow transport minister Lord Rosser said poor bus links, the lack of a railway station in Oswestry and no plans to dual the A5 meant people in the area would not benefit from the multi-billion pound project despite the new line passing the county border.

Speaking during a House of Lords Grand Committee debate on the HS2 (West Midlands-Crewe) Bill on Thursday, he asked whether transport minister Baroness Vere would support reinstating rail links to Oswestry and Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire.

Lord Rosser also raised the plight of villagers in Woore, which is expected to see a significant increase in HGV traffic during the construction.

A proposed amendment to the bill by Lord Rosser said work should not begin until the secretary of state had published an assessment into whether there are “sufficient transport provisions” in Shropshire and Staffordshire to enable the construction.

It further said this must include assessment of whether improvements to existing railway stations or construction of new ones was needed to allow access to the works or to “address any changes to general passenger movements as a result of the works”.

Speaking on the amendment, Lord Rosser said: “Shropshire and Staffordshire are not particularly well placed when it comes to public transport, and it looks as though HS2 phase 2a is going to present considerable upheaval for some residents during construction, and perhaps to a degree afterwards, when there is no direct subsequent benefit to them from HS2 phase 2a, as there will be no stations nearby that will give them easy access to the new high-speed service.

“At second reading, my noble friend Lord Tunnicliffe raised the lack of transport infrastructure in Oswestry. Since second reading, it has been announced that the bus station in Oswestry could close.

“On the other side of the coin, there are rumours of the Government supporting the reopening of a railway station in Oswestry.

“Can the Minister say whether the Government would support such a station and obviously then the restoration of a rail link to Oswestry?

“The Foundation for Integrated Transport has examined bus services in Shropshire and called for new services in the north-east of the county in Ellesmere and Whitchurch.

Reliant

“With the relatively poor public transport infrastructure, many people are reliant on roads, including to reach the railway network.

“Roads in Shropshire are in need of improvement. For example, the A5 trunk road near Oswestry is still not dualled. Do the Government intend to address that situation?

“In Staffordshire, Newcastle-under-Lyme has a population of some 75,000 but does not have a railway station. Do the Government intend to improve transport links by addressing that deficiency?

“It would be helpful to have responses to these questions and also to the general point about whether it is the Government’s intention to take a serious look at improving transport links generally in Shropshire and Staffordshire as an associated part of the HS2 phase 2a project, which will pass through the area but be of little benefit to those most affected if transport links to gain access to and from the new high-speed services are not also considerably improved.”

Baroness Vere said the impact of construction on the transport networks in Shropshire and Staffordshire, “has been considered quite extensively in the environmental statement”.

She added: “The provision of transport in Staffordshire and Shropshire has already been looked at, but, of course, we will continue to be open to opportunities for further improvements.”

The amendment was not moved.

Lord Rosser spoke later in the debate on his second proposed amendment to the bill, which would force government to consult with every parish likely to be impacted by the work.

He said: “I understand that until now engagement by HS2 has been felt locally in Woore to be less than satisfactory.

“This is far from the first occasion when local communities that are going to be heavily affected by the impact of HS2 construction traffic over a lengthy period have felt that HS2 has been less than understanding and sympathetic to their valid concerns or willing to engage fully with local residents and local authorities to address those concerns and minimise impacts.”

Remedy

Lord Rosser said Woore was expected to see an HGV pass through every five minutes during the construction of HS2, travelling along the A51 and A525 which meet at a crossroads near the village shop.

He added: “There is now a dedicated Minister for HS2 and a cross-government ministerial group. What will their involvement be in ensuring that HS2 engages properly with local communities such as Woore?”

Lord Snape, who sat on the bill select committee, said it was the committee’s opinion that, “these are matters for the local highway authority rather than a Committee of the House or the Minister herself.”

He added: “If the representations made by the parish council to Shropshire Council as the highways authority are powerful enough, surely they will be acted on. If they are not acted on, obviously the remedy is in the hands of local people at the next council elections.”

Baroness Vere said she had “sympathy” with residents of Woore, but, “it is not the case that at the moment they do not have any traffic going through their village, which is at the confluence of two A roads.”

She added: “My understanding is that there has been no failure of engagement with Woore and that traffic-calming measures have been offered. Perhaps there has been a mismanagement of expectation here.

“As construction plans are developed, traffic management plans can be developed; without them, we can have all the engagement in the world, but that will not actually achieve anything until there are construction plans to put into play.”

Lord Rosser withdrew the amendment.

Speaking after the debate, he said: “As I understand it, the residents of Woore have been completely neglected throughout the HS2 process, and with construction fast-approaching the government really do need to engage with them before it’s too late.

“The residents know the impact on their village better than anyone, and yet I am told that consultation has been abysmal. I was glad to raise their case and I must say I was a little surprised that it appeared the government did not recognise the issue.

“It is clear that this Government has been failing passengers and road users across Shropshire, and the promised investment is just not being delivered. The fact the Government couldn’t even address the issues I raised really was disappointing.”