HS2’s impact on the canal & landscape around Lichfield will be less after pressure from local and waterways interests cause a re-think.
Following the recent visit by MPs of the HS2 Parliamentary Group to Fradley Junction, the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP has announced that the Government is adopting Canal & River Trust (CRT) and Inland Waterways Association (IWA) proposals to re-align the route of the high-speed railway at this point.
As a result of partnership working between HS2 Ltd and Staffordshire County Council, Patrick McLoughlin is proposing amendments to the Phase One route near Lichfield. The amended route will now pass under the A38, the West Coast Main Line and the South Staffordshire line rather than run over them on viaducts. The alignment will also be amended to remove two crossings over the Trent and Mersey Canal.
These changes reflect what many local residents and stakeholders, including the Canal & Rivers Trust, requested during the Petitioning Process. The changes reduce the size of embankments in the area and mean large sections of the railway will run in cutting, limiting its visual impact on the landscape. It is a major joint campaigning victory as the new route avoids much of the popular and historic Fradley Junction to Wood End Lock area of the Trent & Mersey Canal, and the need for a large worksite alongside the Coventry Canal between Streethay and Huddlesford Junction.
Assurances have also been given that HS2 will ensure that the restoration of the Lichfield Canal can continue. The Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Trust says is delighted that its long-term project to restore the 7 miles of the Lichfield Canal should no longer be under threat from HS2. The Trust has been able to work with HS2 Ltd to achieve this outcome, and expects to be consulted on the design for the lower alignment near Huddlesford announced on 1st. October, which will require an Amendment to the Bill.
CRT chief executive Richard Parry said: “The Government’s decision to move the alignment of part of the HS2 route away from the canal at Fradley Junction is fantastic news for boaters and visitors to this much loved rural canal. We have worked tirelessly with the IWA and local groups to achieve this change and we applaud the Minister for listening to our powerful arguments; it is absolutely the right decision.”
IWA national chairman, Les Etheridge, said: “IWA has been campaigning for several years for a better deal from HS2 on waterways especially at Fradley. It’s great that our pragmatic approach has been taken on board, saving this iconic location and providing assurances to protect the important Lichfield Canal restoration.”
The CRT and the IWA will continue to maintain their efforts to mitigate other negative impacts of, and maximise the regeneration opportunities presented by, HS2 along the entire route.
Thanks to Harry Arnold and Waterway Images for some of this report and images.
