HS2 Chief pressed to 'listen to Lowton' and drop depot plans

Last week I held face-to-face talks with the head of HS2 David Higgins and urged him to drop plans for a major depot to the north of Lowton and Golborne.

The Government's current proposals site what is a major industrial installation in an area of open countryside recognised for its scientific and environmental significance. When I consulted local residents on HS2 earlier this year, there was near-universal local opposition to the plan - even from supporters of HS2.

I asked David Higgins for a face-to-face meeting as I wanted to convey directly the strength of feeling of my constituents. I am grateful to him for giving me a hearing and listening to my concerns.

This is not about nimby-ism. Leigh and Lowton people are fair-minded and will always accept their share. But this is taking far too much from us. It will shatter our peace and destroy our precious green space.

Surely the preferred location for a facility of this kind should be a brownfield site, not an area designated by Wigan Council as its "Green Heart", bordering a Site of Special Scientific Interest and close to the historic Lightshaw Hall and Byrom Hall. It's hard to imagine a less appropriate site.

If it is ever built, this depot will be an industrial monstrosity looming large over Pennington Flash and the houses of nearby residents. Pennington Flash has become a significant visitor attraction and this would damage its appeal.

I have urged HS2 to listen to Lowton, go back to the drawing board and relocate this facility to a more appropriate site.

At the media launch of Transport for Leigh at
Leigh Sports Village  28th March 2013

Lowton residents last week gave a cautious welcome to emerging plans for a new rail interchange off the East Lancs as part of the HS2 project - but put forward suggestions to improve them further.

I made good on my pledge to keep local residents updated on my discussions with the Government about HS2 when I hosted a public meeting at Lowton Social Club on Thursday, 25th April.

The meeting - attended by around 200 local people - heard a presentation from Ged Tyrell of Transport for Leigh who are campaigning to bring a rail station to the area. They are developing a costed and detailed plan to deliver this goal and hope to build support for it from across the North West.

Transport for Leigh believe the proposed HS2 route provides an excellent opportunity for the Leigh area to re-gain a station. It would link with the existing Liverpool-Manchester line to create a new interchange off the East Lancs. They believe this can be done at the earliest opportunity with the integration with HS2 at a later stage.

One suggestion put forward by residents which has already been adopted by Transport for Leigh is the inclusion of a relief road linking the proposed new station with Winwick Lane, diverting traffic away from the congested Lane Head area. I have also promised to build in other ideas raised at the meeting, including the protection of green space in the area around the proposed station.

Whilst HS2 will bring disruption, Mr Tyrrell believes it presents a ‘once in a lifetime’ to obtain a rail presence for the area rather than just having a HS2 rail line running through bringing all the disruption but with no advantage to the local community and business.

I informed residents of my meeting with the Transport Minister, Simon Burns MP and reported to the them that the Government has an 'open mind' about the idea of rail interchange station at Lowton and is prepared to consider a detailed proposal from campaigners.

Government officials have already accepted that the scheme proposed by Transport for Leigh is technically feasible and are open to looking at the deliverability of the project.

I don't think we'll ever get a better opportunity than this to re-connect our area to the rail network. The Government has given us a green light to prepare our case and I urge people to get behind Transport for Leigh and present a united front. People will have concerns - and we will do our best to respond to them - but we will be failing our children, grand-children and future generations if we don't grab this with both hands."

I will be facilitating meetings with neighbouring local authorities and the Passenger Transport bodies serving Gt Manchester and Merseyside with the aim of building a broad-based campaign in support of the plans.

Ged Tyrrell said, “This represents a once in a lifetime chance for the reinstatement of a rail link.  Something will not only provide opportunity for the local community, but the wider area, for us, and, more importantly, future generations to come.”

Neil Alistair Prescott from Transport for Leigh added, “Clearly the published route for HS2 raises strong opinions, both for and against. We can’t speak for HS2, we are representing the region from a local perspective, we can, however, influence the plan so that it works for our advantage.”

Further details of the Transport for Leigh proposal can be found on the website where there is access to an online survey and a Government e-petition.

I will call on Government to include rail link for Leigh

Last week's public meeting at Lowton Social Club gave local residents the chance to air their views about the Government's proposals for HS2.

Around 200 people attended and participated in a Q&A with Lowton East Ward Councillors’ James Cowley (Lab), Pam Gilligan (Lab), James Grundy (Con) and myself. A number of specific points were raised about the Government's plans, including:

• Route through Lowton and potential closure of Slag Lane
• The size and likely operation of the Depot
• The social and economic benefits of HS2 to the community
• Limited access to HS2
• The potential opportunity that HS2 may provide impetus for a train station to connect Leigh with Manchester and Merseyside
• Compensation payments for those directly affected by the route
• Impact of route on the emerging Local Plan (Core Strategy)

I told the meeting that, If HS2 is to go ahead, I will work to get the best possible deal I can for Lowton, reflecting the concerns of local people. A whole series of crucial points were raised by residents which require a detailed response from the Government. I will be raising these with the Secretary of State on behalf of the Lowton community and, in particular, will be calling for a more generous compensation scheme than that currently on offer.

I believe that HS2 can be good for the Borough, but I don't want to see Lowton and Leigh get all the disruption and none of the benefits.

Cutting journey times to London will help the North. But, if this is the only tangible Government can claim, then it will be a huge missed opportunity. It is essential that, as part of this investment, the Government opens up rail travel to more people and re-connects communities like Leigh to the rail network.

A straw poll on the night showed clear opposition to the proposed route but the meeting was open to the proposal for a local train station. While many people oppose HS2, I was pleased to find considerable support for exploring the idea of an interchange station linking us to Manchester, Merseyside and HS2. I will now put this proposal directly to the Secretary of State."

I will be convening a further public meeting later this year to follow up on all the issues raised.