Sheffield Business Leaders Add Voice to City Centre HS2 Station Campaign

9th June 2015

Business leaders have welcomed the news that Sheffield City Council figures past and present have thrown their weight behind a city centre HS2 station.

Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Transport Forum repeated its continued support for a city centre station after Lord Kerslake, former Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council spoke out in his maiden speech to the House of Lords about the importance of the location for the high speed line. Reacting to Lord Kerslake's speech, the current council leader Julie Dore then said she was also throwing the authority's weight behind the campaign to bring the route into the centre of Sheffield, with research showing such a location would generate at least £2 billion more economic benefits. Sheffield Chamber Transport Forum chair Peter Kennan, a Partner at Hawsons Chartered Accountants, said: -These views are particularly significant for Sheffield's part of the High Speed Rail project because, as Lord Kerslake pointed out, the impact on growth, jobs and business rates if the station is located in the centre of Sheffield is significantly higher than the alternative out-of-town parkway station. -He also highlighted the need to keep open a future opportunity to create a genuine economic powerhouse through improved connectivity with Leeds and Manchester. -The Chamber's view has always been to support the location which generates maximum economic benefit for the Sheffield City Region and it was clear from all the studies that this requires a central station. -It is great that Lord Kerslake has made this point to the House of Lords, just as we did in giving evidence to the House of Lords enquiry at the end of last year. -I really hope that the Board of HS2 Limited and the government are listening. Given the evolution in thinking and the development of the Northern Powerhouse plans to better link Sheffield with Manchester and Leeds, we believe a parkway station at Meadowhall makes no sense at all.