Fresh plea to reroute HS2 construction traffic
Fresh calls have been made to reconsider the route construction traffic will take for the proposed HS2 rail link.
Villagers in Woore, near Market Drayton, say the traffic, which will see 500 lorries a day travel through the Shropshire countryside, will have a huge impact.
Last month the second reading of the High Speed Rail (West Midlands to Crewe) Bill got a majority of 283 in the House of Commons, meaning it will now be debated by a committee.
If the proposal goes ahead, hundreds of goods vehicles will pass along parts of the A525 and travel through Woore during construction.
Now the councillor for the area, Roy Aldcroft, has asked the council's portfolio holder for highways and transport Steve Davenport if Shropshire Council would write to HS2 urging them to 'reconsider the route and consider alternatives put forward by the Woore Parish Action Group'.
Councillor Davenport said that the council was 'fully engaged' with HS2 and Woore Parish Council.
Severe
He added that meetings had been held with HS2 and a consultation exercise had been carried out.
A more detailed survey of traffic levels will be undertaken once the consultation period ends.
In a question going before the full council on Thursday, Councillor Aldcroft will ask: "Would Shropshire Council agree that the proposal from HS2 to route construction traffic through the village of Woore would have an appalling effect on the village?
"The suggestion that 500 trucks per day could pass through the village during the construction phase of the HS2 project would have a severe effect on the environment and fabric of the village.
"It would also cause congestion with existing commuter traffic. Would the council write to HS2, recognising the benefits of the HS2 project to the area but urging them to reconsider the route and consider the alternatives proposed?"
Councillor Davenport in reply said that HS2 had said that any works to aid construction access are likely to occur in the first quarter of 2021.
"The highway modifications are proposed to be temporary at the outset, and the detailed design of any highway modifications are to be approved by Shropshire Council before construction," he added.
"If it is considered that any modifications would be beneficial to local communities in the longer term, they could also be retained beyond the construction phase."
The initial plan is for a new railway line between London and the West Midlands carrying 400m-long trains with as many as 1,100 seats per train.
Ministers say it will improve the transport network and boost the economy.
