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HS2Uniting the CountryConnecting the MidlandsMarketing a global Britain

Contents

Sir John Peace and Andy Street 4

Cllr Kay Cutts and Cllr Phillip Atkins 6

HS2: Uniting the country 8

HS2: Marketing a global Britain 9

HS2: Releasing affordable housing 10

HS2: Creating high-skilled jobs 11

HS2: Closing the opportunity gap 12

HS2: Future-proofing a sustainable transport network 13

HS2: Putting the Midlands on the map 14

HS2: Uniting the Country: Connecting the Midlands: Marketing a global Britain 32

HS2 is the most ambitious British transport project since the Victorian era and, like our Victorian transport infrastructure, the benefits it brings to Britain will be felt for generations to come.

HS2 is a much-needed reminder of the innovative, industry-led and ambition-driven attitude which made the UK a global economic superpower in the 19th and 20th centuries. Building it today is a demonstration of the confidence our new government has in this great country’s prospects for the 21st and 22nd centuries.

The Midlands has long been home to the engineering and manufacturing talent that has helped drive UK-wide prosperity. It is no coincidence therefore, that the Midlands was also one of the first beneficiaries of major government-led transport infrastructure investment through the industrial revolution. Being located at the confluence of the UK’s canal, road and rail networks has positioned our region to power UK influence across the globe. However, our canals remain beautiful but recreational, our roads require widespread upgrades to become smart infrastructure and our railways are no longer fit for purpose in a fast-paced, mass-movement 21st century economy.

High speed rail will provide our people and businesses with the fast, frequent, reliable and environmentally friendly travel options this century demands. Building and optimising high speed rail will once again put the Midlands at the vanguard of

the global transport industry, enabling us to export our skills and expertise across the globe.

Without the construction and arrival of HS2, the Midlands’ outlook is much less rosy. The region’s economy is worth £233 billion, with more than 800,000 businesses and 10 million people. However, productivity is below the national average and our ability to keep competing on the global stage requires central government support.

The Midlands offers a strong base on which to build: a globally significant advanced manufacturing base, now accounting for almost a quarter of the UK’s manufacturing output; cutting-edge research facilities and world-renowned brands across a broad spectrum of sectors; and an export book worth more than £55 billion every year. The Midlands is ready to take advantage of Brexit and help the UK reach its full potential, but only if it is properly connected to the North, to London and to the international gateways which access the rest of the globe.

When the Midlands succeeds, the UK thrives. Today, the future success of the Midlands is dependent on having the right modern infrastructure to facilitate growth and productivity. HS2 is the backbone of the new network. So we look to government to provide the leadership this country deserves, to take the big decisions required, and to work in partnership with the Midlands to restore confidence in Great Britain, both at home and abroad.

Sir John PeaceChair, Midlands Engine & Midlands Connect

Forewords

The largest infrastructure project in Europe, HS2 is symbolic of the boldness we are taking into a post-Brexit world. It demonstrates the enormous strengths of our economy, maximising opportunities across the nation.

Perhaps the biggest opportunity it presents is the chance to rebalance our country’s economy. For too long London has had the lion’s share of investment - and it is time for that to change.

I am delighted that here in the West Midlands we are at the heart of the HS2 network, home to HS2 Ltd and two brand new stations, Curzon Street in Birmingham and Interchange in Solihull. Construction is underway, and so are the transformative effects the project is having on our region.

Firstly there is the job creation. HS2 is essential to the growth of Midlands’ jobs, and thousands have already been created as both direct and indirect benefits of the project.

HS2 is also crucial to local and regional transport. Not only is there the capacity benefit that the freeing up of our current intercity lines will bring, but there is also the supplementary transport investment that comes with a new national railway line. Thanks to HS2, we have been able to greatly expand our Midland Metro tram network, introduce new rapid bus routes and offer up an improved local rail network featuring more evening and weekend trains. It maybe obvious to say, but HS2 goes hand in

glove with our regional transport system.

As well as transport and jobs, HS2 is vital for housebuilding. The project is unlocking land for development, with regeneration at Birmingham’s Curzon Street Station and the Urban Growth Company’s plans around Interchange, in Solihull, allowing us to build the properties that are essential for those who aspire to own their own home - addressing the lack of affordable housing which has persisted for generations, and helping the West Midlands meet our target of 215,000 new homes by 2031.

Another benefit of the project that cannot be overstated is the improved connectivity it will bring between the Midlands and the North. Anyone who has tried to travel north from our region will know just how difficult this can be. But HS2 represents a step-change, reliably connecting the Midlands with the whole country, not just the south. If people and businesses in Birmingham can reliably reach people and businesses in Leeds in just 45 minutes instead of two hours, the economic relationship between the two cities transforms almost overnight.

HS2 establishes the West Midlands at a global level, supporting new developments, new businesses, new high-skilled jobs and increased overseas investment. From our region’s perspective, it is an indispensable part of the government’s commitment to unite the country and deliver a stronger economy that works for everyone.

Andy StreetMayor of the West Midlands


More jobs and training opportunities – the chance to earn higher wages. More trade and investment, both domestically and internationally. More affordable houses. More trains, less over-crowding and much quicker journeys to the places people really want to live, work and learn. For local people and businesses across the East Midlands, HS2 means everything.

But it’s not just Nottinghamshire and our neighbouring counties who need this new railway. The whole of the Midlands and the North need it too. To underpin and integrate with Midlands Engine Rail and Northern Powerhouse Rail; to bring our regions the connections we need to thrive after Brexit.

The HS2 Hub Station at Toton in Nottinghamshire will be a totem of regeneration, innovation and growth. It allows us to build an ‘Innovation Campus’ linked to our university sector, capable of delivering up to 10,000 high quality jobs. It supports new community facilities and a range of new housing opportunities, including the nearby Chetwynd Barracks ‘garden village’. It will be an inspiring 21st Century Gateway to the East Midlands and a destination in its own right.

Toton is the perfect example of how local authorities and our partners are aligning our economic development strategies to harness and add to the benefits of HS2. The Midlands Engine Development Corporation has been established especially to bring the East Midlands Hub, East Midlands Airport, and Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station sites together into an unparalleled venture for investors both at home and abroad. This gives us the chance to establish an inland freeport in the East Midlands too – something our communities can work at, build around and benefit from for generations to come.

East Midlands Councils is working with Midlands Connect to integrate the Hub Station into the regional and local transport networks. We now have plans to serve the economic centres of Leicester, Nottingham and Chesterfield with direct high speed services. Working together with HS2, we will relieve congestion and spread the benefits to Derby, Matlock and Lincoln, as well as our other surrounding towns and villages.

The Infrastructure Maintenance Depot at Staveley, on top of the HS2 services to Chesterfield, will have a transformational impact on the Derbyshire economy. We have set out a comprehensive approach to integrating Chesterfield station and associated development areas into the town, enhancing its role as a gateway to the Peak District National Park and accelerating the regeneration of the Staveley corridor.

The East Midlands has been building world-class trains for over 175 years. Regardless of where HS2’s trains are built, East Midlands companies large and small will benefit. Already over 125 of our SMEs have secured contracts to help deliver the projects first phases.

The scale of the economic challenges facing the UK cannot be tackled by incremental ‘business as usual’ initiatives. We need to be big, bold and confident. For the Midlands and the North, HS2 presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-balance the UK economy away from over-reliance on London and the south east. The Government must re-commit to building HS2, in full and as early as possible.

Cllr Kay CuttsChair of the East Midlands HS2 Strategic Board and Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council

It is important to remember that HS2 is much more than just a new railway. The Constellation Partnership – taking in the HS2-connected stations of Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe – is the primary economic gateway between the Midlands and the North. HS2 makes that gateway wide, appealing and free-flowing.

HS2 will bring our partnership within an hour of London and give us improved direct access to the UK’s national and international assets, like airports, freight terminals and other economic centres. Effectively, HS2 shrinks the map of our country, bringing us closer together and opening doors to new business, both domestically and globally.

HS2 is already proving to be a catalyst for further investment, which we need to kick start new development. The benefits will ripple from the stations to generate inclusive and sustainable ‘Good Growth’ throughout the region.

What we need now to shape and deliver ambitious growth programmes is certainty and clarity from Government during a period of unprecedented change. As partners, we are working hard to plan for the construction and arrival of HS2, making the most of the new railway for our communities, while mitigating any environmental impacts.

Thanks to the work of the Constellation Partnership, Stafford, Stoke and Crewe have regeneration plans worth more than £3 billion, including 50,000 new jobs and 58,000 new homes in the centre of the country.

For the stations themselves, HS2 represents an investment which is decades overdue. Stoke station first opened in 1848. The arrival of HS2 brings the opportunity for its biggest overhaul in more than 150 years, with two new platforms and the regeneration of a huge area of land around the station.

In addition to the key Stoke-on-Trent to Crewe corridor, the Stafford Gateway scheme will transform the area around our county town’s railway station with a range of new development sites, benefiting the wider economy.

One of the rumours is that HS2 will only be built between London and Birmingham – leaving a chasm between the North and the Midlands. HS2 Phase Two will extend HS2’s benefits across the Midlands, North West, North East and Scotland. More than 25 million people – over a third of the UK’s population. These places should not be denied the job, growth and levelling up opportunities that HS2 offers to others.

Imagine if, instead of a motorway network, we only had a couple of big “A” roads linking London with Dover and Birmingham. We got by as a country before the motorway building boom of the 1960s and 70s, but now we simply couldn’t be without them and the transport capacity and connectivity they provide. HS2 will be as important to the Constellation Partnership’s productivity and prosperity as the M6 is today.

Just as when Government invested in the motorways, the Midlands and the North need strong leadership from Westminster to deliver transport infrastructure that meets all our ambitions for the future.

Cllr Phillip AtkinsChair of Constellation Partnership and Leader of Staffordshire County Council


HS2: Marketing a global Britain

HS2 will unleash the productive power of the Midlands, one of the fastest growing and most economically significant areas of the UK. With an economy worth more than £233 billion, ensuring the region remains a primary destination for overseas investment is fundamental to Britain thriving after Brexit.

The Midlands is an export powerhouse. If the Midlands was a country, it would be the twelfth biggest exporter in the EU, ahead of Portugal, Hungary and Denmark. We are the only region of the UK to have a trade surplus with China. As the leading destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) outside London, the £4 billion the Midlands attracts into the UK from abroad each year is underpinning investment in the country as a whole.

Undeniably, HS2 is already partially responsible for this success. However, maintaining this boost in business confidence is reliant on sticking to the plans for future infrastructure investment that we have so successfully been selling abroad. Connecting towns and cities, people and business, HS2 confers confidence to industry and investors, both at home and internationally, that the Midlands is open for business.

HS2 will re-establish Britain at the leading edge of the rail industry, providing the knowledge and people required to tap into global growth of high-speed rail, which will see the country export its engineering skills around the world.

HS2 will generate more than £20 billion in direct benefits to the Midlands economy, creating more than 250,000 jobs, but it is the fundamental confidence it brings that will deliver the biggest benefits over the long term. Evidence of the HS2 effect is already here. Since Phase One received Royal Assent, the West Midlands has seen a strengthened performance in FDI, with investors citing HS2 as a key reason for investment, driving a 13% increase in FDI projects and a 43% increase in

the number of jobs created in 2017-2018.

HS2 will improve connections to, and release more capacity for, the region’s international gateways, including Birmingham Airport, the UK’s busiest pure –airfreight gateway at East Midlands Airport, and the UK’s largest port by tonnage in Immingham. Ensuring Britain is ready to increase trade with the rest of the world tomorrow, requires the continuation of a project that has already been a decade in the making – that’s HS2.

Each of the seven HS2 stations across the Midlands has a dedicated growth strategy aimed at maximising the benefits of HS2. Each one is a catalyst for growth, each one an overdue opportunity for regeneration, each one a driver of development. Together, they represent £11 billion of investment opportunities, providing destinations for foreign funding, new economic relationships for British businesses and new jobs and homes for Midlands residents.

“All of the evidence indicates that infrastructure and connectivity are vital for inward investment. This is exactly what the West Midlands is experiencing right now with HS2 driving increased rates of overseas investment. I would fully expect that with the confirmation of Phase Two, we will see similar results replicated in the East Midlands and the North.”

“By connecting the Midlands to the North, HS2 will expand the UK’s economic areas, enlarging available labour markets and amplifying agglomeration effects, which will help raise regional productivity rates, increasing attractiveness to investors at home and abroad.”

Nigel Driffield

Professor of International Business Warwick Business School

HS2: Uniting the country

HS2 offers the UK the modern and reliable backbone that a 21st century transport network needs to support a thriving economy. The new network directly links 30 million people to more than 25 towns and cities, bringing us all closer together, and providing new opportunities as we rebalance the economy.

It will transform intercity journey times across the region, releasing capacity on local networks, to improve connectivity for commuters and businesses on existing lines. It supports the case for new tram services and new rapid bus services. It will enable much more freight to shift from roads to rail, providing the infrastructure needed for decades of sustainable growth. These journeys are the lifeblood of our national economy, with local and regional travel key to the success of both our cities and regions, enabling access to education, skills and expertise, and enhancing our nation’s competitiveness.

Connecting the Midlands

Situated at the heart of this world-leading, high speed network is the Midlands, where more than 6.5 million people will be connected to HS2 through at least seven HS2 stations, including three brand new stations: Birmingham Curzon Street, Interchange in Solihull, and the East Midlands Hub at Toton; and major rail interchanges at Chesterfield, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe. The region’s Sub-national Transport Body, Midlands Connect, is planning to take this one step further with direct HS2 trains to Nottingham and Leicester city centres, demonstrating how the Midlands is embracing and committing to this transformation of the national network.

HS2 will better connect the Midlands to the North West, Yorkshire and the South East, reducing travel times to Manchester, Leeds and London to under an hour, bringing together three of the UK’s most powerful regions to create a stronger economy that works for everyone – where wealth and opportunity can be spread across every community.

The new Curzon Street Station in Birmingham

“HS2 underpins a great opportunity to improve connectivity between the East and West Midlands, something which has sadly been overlooked for many years. Reducing the journey time between the East and West Midlands to just 19 minutes with a new station at Toton creates a whole new paradigm for the economic and social relationships across our region. And if we get the conventional-compatible HS2 services Midlands Connect is looking for, we can also look forward to reigniting our productive dealings with the North. Bringing HS2 trains into Leicester city centre would mean a direct link to Leeds that would boost the economy by tens of millions every year and encourage more people to get off the M1 and out of their cars”

Sir Peter Soulsby

City Mayor of Leicester and Chair of Transport for the East Midlands (TfEM)


Home to 15% of the UK’s population, and with 20–24 year olds comprising the largest demographic of its 10 million plus residents, the Midlands faces a starker challenge than most when it comes to delivering hundreds of thousands of much needed affordable housing. HS2 is critical to giving the Midlands’ young people the chance to own their own homes.

Every newly HS2-connected station unlocks land for housing development. Fast, frequent and reliable public transport is essential to getting planning authorities comfortable with thousands of new residents. However, once again this is not something which can happen quickly. That HS2 has already been a decade in the making demonstrates how replacing it with alternative schemes will only delay developers plans and planning processes, which are an inevitable part of the long-term house-building process.

Each of the region’s seven HS2 stations has ambitious plans for regenerating their local areas, unlocking land for development and providing new homes that will be perfectly located to take advantage of the connectivity provided by HS2. Together the Midlands’ HS2 growth strategies will directly contribute more than 130,000 new homes.

The Constellation Partnership’s plans for developments around the existing stations in Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, and their surrounding towns will deliver large scale housing growth to match planned population increases. In Birmingham, the Curzon Masterplan will regenerate old industrial land surrounding the new HS2 station, creating homes in the heart of the city, while the Urban Growth Company will use the arrival of the new HS2 Interchange station in Solihull to develop The Hub, creating thousands of new homes in a key strategic economic growth area. In the East Midlands, HS2 plays a pivotal role in a series of developments planned by the Midlands Engine Development Corporation, including around the new HS2 station at Toton, East Midlands Airport and the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station sites.

HS2: Releasing affordable housing

HS2: Creating high-skilled jobs

Building HS2 will bring Britain, the birthplace of the railways, back to the top table of global high speed rail development, recovering our historic role as leaders in a key strategic industry. It will help our young people to develop the skills they need to do the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future.

Being located at the heart of HS2 ensures the Midlands will benefit directly from integral parts of the HS2 infrastructure, each of which will create new jobs and provide long-term economic benefits. These include HS2 Ltd’s headquarters in central Birmingham, currently home to 1,300 employees, the forthcoming national command centre and maintenance depot at Washwood Heath, along with the Staveley maintenance depot in Chesterfield, employing around 3,000 staff of varying skill levels.

In addition, the Midlands is home to the world’s largest rail cluster, including the only facility in the UK able to design, manufacture, assemble and test new trains for domestic and export market, so is well placed to benefit from the UK’s investment in HS2, and translate this into future growth from the economy. This expertise is further reinforced with the Midlands having one of the two new colleges for high-speed rail, which will produce a new generation of highly-skilled professionals ready to lead Britain’s future rail industry.

It is so important to remember that HS2 is much more than a just a new railway. Affiliated sectors that are benefiting from the high speed rail project include: financial services, professional and business services; science and technology; creative and digital; logistics and distribution; and automotive/aerospace

Commercial development and regeneration around the HS2 stations, such as the proposed high tech innovation campus at Toton, is driving investment in strategic economic growth areas, building on the Midlands’ sectoral strengths: advanced manufacturing, automotive and mobility,

life sciences, creative and gaming, business and professional services, and low carbon technologies, including energy generation, storage and transmission and clean growth.

“It is so important to remember that HS2 is much more than just a new railway. Taking in the HS2-connected stations of Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe, the Constellation Partnership is the primary gateway between the Midlands Engine and the Northern Powerhouse. HS2 is providing the catalyst for investment we need to kick start new development which will ripple from the stations themselves to generate inclusive and sustainable ‘Good Growth’ throughout the region.”

Cllr Patrick Farrington

Leader of Stafford Borough Council

Bombardier Rail Vehicles Production Site - Derby

UK Central Hub Proposed Masterplan

“Building infrastructure is key to unlocking development, and HS2 is doing just that for the West Midlands.

“The high speed rail link will attract investment and, in turn, help us to deliver thousands of high-quality homes that the region needs.

“In this way, by collaborating with major projects like HS2, we can help to realise the ambitions of the West Midland Combined Authority.”

Tony Pidgley

Chairman of the Berkeley Group


HS2: Closing the opportunity gap

HS2 is critical to the Midlands’ commitment to building an inclusive and balanced economy. Once complete HS2, and the Midlands rail improvements it enables, will provide residents and employees with easier, faster and more reliable mobility. People will be able to travel to, from and across the region with ease, allowing them to have greater choice about where they live, work and study. By connecting the region through improved infrastructure, HS2 will provide access to more opportunities for generations.

From unlocking land for affordable homes, allowing people to get on the housing ladder, to securing investment in the region’s economy, increasing business confidence, and creating new jobs and careers, HS2 is having a real impact on driving inclusive growth, providing optimism to thousands of young people from Stafford to Chesterfield.

This is particularly evident in the creation of new jobs, including highly skilled and inclusive roles, and a corresponding increase in education opportunities, from apprenticeships to degrees, to supply the talent these require. Building HS2 is creating tens of thousands of jobs across a range of sectors, from demolition to design, providing a pathway into construction for the region’s young people, evidenced by the hundreds of learners and apprentices that have already found opportunities off the back of the project, and more than 8,000 jobs created in the Midlands.

HS2 Ltd is leading the way with contracts targeting new entrants to the industry, including young people, those currently unemployed, and under-represented groups, ensuring the programme will help deliver inclusive growth. This is complemented by the confidence HS2 is providing to SMEs to invest in growing their business, creating additional career opportunities, and contributing to the region’s future success.

“Our future success depends on developing a strong, thriving economy that benefits all of Britain. HS2 will support inclusive growth through the partnership’s Integrated Growth Strategy, leading to additional investment in skills, support new businesses to establish themselves, and existing businesses to grow. As a city, we already have one of the fastest growing economies in the Midlands, and are ambitious to capitalise on all opportunities HS2 provides to cement our position as a growth point of UK plc.

“Stoke-on-Trent, along with Crewe and Stafford, has developed its own transformational station campus masterplan. These plans will ensure that the full growth benefits of HS2 are realised within the vicinity of each station hub, including the 50,000 new jobs anticipated as a direct result of our HS2 Growth Strategy, and the associated increase in consumption as a result of a growing population.”

Cllr Abi Brown

Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council

HS2: Future-proofing a sustainable

transport network

The UK is leading the way in becoming the first major economy to commit to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, that worthy aspiration will prove to be impossible unless we convince people to switch from private vehicles to public transport; and businesses to move their goods from the roads to the railways.

HS2 is an essential step in achieving both of these goals. The new high speed network will free up space on existing lines for more frequent, regular and reliable trains on local and regional routes, as well as reducing crowding on current services by giving long distance travellers a faster alternative.

It’s not just passengers who benefit. The capacity it releases on existing lines for rail freight will, according to Midlands Connect estimates, enable Britain to take more than 2.6 million lorries off the roads each year.

By making the railways a more appealing option for commuters, leisure travellers and businesses alike, HS2 will enable Midlands towns and cities to plan and deliver a sustainable, zero carbon transport network, benefiting the region and its people for the rest of the century and beyond.

“The UK government and several of our Midlands councils have quite rightly declared a climate emergency.

We all know we must act now to protect our planet for our children and the other generations to come. But it can’t be a case of economic growth or protecting the environment; it can’t be sustainability or better transport connectivity.

As we fight back against climate change, we can still help our businesses and our region to keep moving; we can still help people to have a wider choice of places to live, learn, work and play.

HS2 is the backbone of a new sustainable transport network that is fundamental to that aspiration. We have a responsibility to future-proof transport in the Midlands and that’s why we have a responsibility to build HS2”

Maria Machancoses

Director of Midlands Connect

Crewe Engineering and Design University Technical College

HS2 will encourage more drivers to use the train

HS2 releases capacity for rail freight


Stoke-on-Trent

To Wales

Birmingham

Hereford

Derby

To Bristol &Cardiff

To Manchester

ToLeeds

To Reading

To London

Worcester

Nuneaton

Chesterfield

Crewe

Stafford

Coventry

Leicester

Lincoln

Nottingham

Shrewsbury

Derby Nottingham

Interchange

Constellation Partnership(Crewe, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent)

GVA £3.2bn

Jobs 50,000

Homes 58,000

Commercial Space 550,000m2

Key Journey Times Stafford – London - 53 mins Crewe – Birmingham - 28 minsCrewe – Manchester - 21 mins

Birmingham Curzon Street StationGVA £1.4bn

Jobs 36,000

Homes 4,000

Commercial Space 600,000m2 of office, retail and leisure space

Key Journey Times Manchester - 40 minsLondon - 45 mins Leeds - 49 minsEast Mids Hub - 19 mins

Interchange at UK Central Hub in SolihullGVA £6.2bn

Jobs 70,000

Homes 5,000


Key Journey Times East Mids - 17 mins Manchester - 37 minsLondon - 38 minsLeeds - 46 minsEdinburgh - 186 mins

HS2: Putting the Midlands on the mapChesterfieldGVA £270m

Jobs 10,220

Homes 4,740


Key Journey Times Birmingham - 30 minsLeeds - 40 minsLondon - 71 mins

The East Midlands Hub in Toton(Serving Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and East Midlands Airport)

GVA £4bn

Jobs 74,000

Homes 20,000

Commercial Space 180,000m2 at Innovation campus

Key Journey Times Interchange - 17 minsB’ham Curzon St - 19 minsLeeds - 27 minsYork - 35 mins

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