HS2

Chancellor unveils new funding for East Midlands HS2 station and airport expansion

The chancellor has revealed new funding for a locally-led development body for HS2’s East Midlands Hub station.

Giving a speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham yesterday, Philip Hammond unveiled the funding earmarked for the development body which will oversee plans to expand East Midlands Airport and the new HS2 station.

The body will be locally led and aim to “attract investment, create jobs and provide opportunities in this area of huge economic potential.”

Hammond said: “I want to start today by announcing funding to support the creation of a new, locally-led development body for the area around Toton in the East Midlands.”

The new HS2 rail station in Toton is due to open in 2033, but the new body will aim to accelerate land acquisition, site preparation and then detailed design work.

Midlands Connect’s director Maria Machancoses said: “We have been clear that jobs, housing and infrastructure to connect Toton to Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and East Midlands Airport can all be delivered in the 2020s, well before HS2 services arrive.

“We’re also making the case for opening Toton to HS2 services in 2030, three years earlier than planned.

She said that the newly-announced delivery body will allow Midlands Connect to “help shape this amazing opportunity” with the help of “vital” local knowledge.

“It is also a strong commitment by the government to deliver HS2 for the Midlands and beyond, acknowledging the role the new railway will have in rebalancing the economy.”

Hammond announced the East Midlands HS2 hub following a speech from Chris Grayling where he announced £18m of funding for Nottinghamshire County Council to improve the A614.

Former Aston Villa chairman Steve Hollis was recently announced as the new chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority HS2 growth delivery board.

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 Image credit - Han Yan/Xinhua News Agency/PA Images