Uncertainty around the future of the controversial high speed rail line, which is set to pass through Stafford Borough, had also raised questions about whether or not the county town would get a link via HS2-compatible trains switching to the West Coast Main Line at a junction at Handsacre.
Stafford Borough Council’s leader Patrick Farrington put the question to Government and received a response from the Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, which he shared with fellow cabinet members last week.
He said: “You will know the Government has recently made an announcement in relation to HS2. I wrote to the Prime Minister and Transport Secretary wanting comfort in relation to what is happening to the Handsacre junction.
We have had a letter back from Grant Shapps confirming that the Handsacre junction is to be retained as part of the proposal.
"Following the announcement that’s very important to Stafford as a borough and also we will continue to make representations about how HS2 itself will affect all of our residents and how we can best mitigate and help that."
The announcement came as cabinet members were asked to give the green light to signing a task agreement for developing a business case for the Stafford Station Gateway project.
The initial cost to the borough council is £71,354, which can be met from existing budgets, a cabinet report said. And by agreeing to share the cost of the work the liability to the borough council is reduced by two thirds.
Around 650 apartments and 150 town houses have been proposed for the area, alongside up to 760,000 square feet of office, commercial and industrial space.
In February 2019 a £150,000 Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Fund award enabled the acquisition of redundant Network Rail sidings, which will allow an additional 70 new homes to be developed, the report added.
And a housing layout for the Gateway Central area has been re-planned with St Modwen to allow a realigned spine road to be built in a later phase to connect the area with Gateway South.
Councillor Farrington said: “The council has for some time wanted to make progress around its plans for Stafford Station Gateway. Now we have had the announcement about HS2, more particularly the incorporation of the works around Handsacre which will mean that classic compatible trains will come off the new HS2 line onto the existing West Coast Main Line and stop at Stafford, that makes the proposals around the gateway even more attractive than before."
Councillor Jeremy Pert, cabinet member for community and health, said: “I think what this demonstrates is we are ambitious for our borough and residents – not just today but planning many years in advance. I think also what it demonstrates is our innovative thinking and ways of using the best from all of our partners to deliver as we go forward for our residents.”
