HS2 round-up: Green space, local jobs and funding

FROM concerns about the loss of green space to questions about how easy it will be to find local construction workers - there are lots of issues arising from HS2.
Here is a round-up of some of the most pressing matters affecting North Solihull, which were raised at the most recent meeting of Solihull Council's HS2 Implementation Advisory Committee.

MERIDEN’S MP has warned it may prove difficult to meet the targets for recruiting local people to help build HS2.
Dame Caroline Spelman said that there had been similar ambitions when work was planned for the North Solihull Regeneration.
The MP recalled that ahead of work starting on the 15-year programme, it had been hoped that 23 per cent of the workforce would be drawn from the local area. But she said there were a couple of reasons why the Regeneration fell short of its target.
These included a lack of courses available in the relevant construction skills and pupils not having the grades to be accepted for those qualifications which were on offer.
She urged HS2 bosses to speak to colleges to find out if they were offering the sort of courses needed.
“I hope you will because it is a great project to be involved with and we want local people to have some benefit,” she said.
“But it’s one of those things which is quite easily said, but quite hard to deliver.”

CONCERNS remain about how Chelmsley Wood will be compensated for the loss of green space arising from HS2.
Richard Lloyd, a member of the Heart of England High Speed Railway Action Group, has argued the issue remains unresolved.
“The public open space is going to be lost, with tremendous noise impact on their recreational ground there,” he said.
“It was proposed to get replacement land, but the [House of] Lords Select Committee took that out. We haven’t heard any news since.”
Jonathan Lord, from HS2 Ltd, admitted that the decision that Mr Lloyd was referring to had come as a surprise.
He said that discussions about mitigating the impact on the local community were ongoing.

PARISH and town councils are urged to make sure they take advantage of HS2 funding.
The Community and Environment Fund is a pot of money set aside to support projects in communities set to face disruption.
Meriden MP Caroline Spelman (pictured) said it was crucial that worthy causes did not miss out on a share of the £45million cache.
While successful bids from Solihull have been thin on the ground, plans to create a war memorial at Water Orton, in Warwickshire, recently received a £10,000 boost.
“[HS2] have allocated about one third of the total fund they’ve got, so we need to get motoring,” said the MP.