Industry reaction to scaling back of HS2

1 Conservative party conference announcement on HS2
2 CIOB reacts to HS2 scaling back announcement
3 APM responds to prime minister's announcement scrapping northern leg of HS2
4 Construction products association response to government cancellation of HS2
5 National trust response to high speed rail 2 (HS2) at the places we care for
6 Other individual responses
7 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] Conservative party conference announcement on HS2

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, confirmed at the Conservative party conference on October 1, that the HS2 high-speed rail line from Birmingham to Manchester would be scrapped. He stated "The facts have changed," and that the project had come from a "false consensus" that links between big cities were "all that matters". He confirmed that the eastern leg to East Midlands Parkway, as well as the northern leg would no longer go ahead, though the West Midlands line would run into central London rather than to Old Oak Common.

His announcement included news that nearly £4bn would be reallocated to transport schemes in six northern city regions as well as road resurfacing across the country and £3bn towards upgrades and electrified lines between the cities of Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and Hull. The Prime Minister has also indicated that the total of £36bn which had been earmarked for the project will be spent on a variety of other projects arond the country.

[edit] CIOB reacts to HS2 scaling back announcement

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) reacted to the Prime Minister's announcement that the HS2 rail project will be scaled back. Eddie Tuttle, Director of Policy, External Affairs and Research at the CIOB, said:

“Long-term infrastructure projects, like HS2, employ large numbers of skilled workers and apprentices and go some way to securing a pipeline of consistent work for the construction sector. It is well recognised that the built environment industry works best when it has certainty in policy making and investment, so we hope the HS2 funding is reinvested into similar projects which will support the upskilling of the construction workforce, particularly in the north of England, where such investment is so vital for the levelling up agenda.

“In a time of economic uncertainty, where we are witnessing supply-chain collapse, it is now more necessary than ever for Government to commit to public sector projects that benefit not only the local workforce and their communities but also the wider economy. It's therefore important Government moves quickly to provide more detail on the plans it now has to improve the transport infrastructure in the north and communicates with the construction sector which will be responsible for delivering them.”

This statement appears on the CIOB news and blog site as "CIOB reacts to HS2 scaling back announcement" dated October 4, 2023.

[edit] APM responds to prime minister's announcement scrapping northern leg of HS2

On 4 October, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the second stage of the HS2 rail link project between Birmingham and Manchester will be scrapped, with the £36 billion cost being earmarked for other transport projects around the country. In response to the announcement, Andrew Baldwin Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Association for Project Management (APM), said:

“Sadly, this project has been plagued with uncertainty since the outset and the original scope has been changed multiple times. Major projects of this nature need political and economic stability to work – investors need to trust that their investment will be worthwhile. Ultimately, you can fix projects by re-scoping and reassessing; you can’t fix them by scrapping them. There was a need for HS2, and that need remains, irrespective of the other projects mentioned in the speech."

“We are of course pleased to see this money will be retained to use on other major transport projects and look forward to concrete proposals on those, particularly Network North. But we had a concrete plan to deliver a major project that would have improved capacity between Manchester, Birmingham and London. We now have uncertainty, speculation and a list of projects that may or may not get spades in the ground before the next general election. And investor enthusiasm will be low, so the Government needs to be clear on what new projects they’re funding, the scope and timescales involved, and ensure that they won’t be cancelled when the going gets tough politically."

“As the chartered body for the project profession, we acknowledge the importance of learning from setbacks and disruptions. There will be lessons from the political side of HS2 that we must learn for future projects.”

This statement appears on the APM news and blog site as "APM responds to Prime Minister's announcement scrapping northern leg of HS2 " dated October 4, 2023.

[edit] Construction products association response to government cancellation of HS2

CPA Chief Executive Peter Caplehorn said:

“The Prime Minister’s announcement (today) on scrapping the rest of the HS2 project is extremely disappointing and frustrating. With this decision, jobs, investments, and resources amongst UK manufacturers and construction businesses large and small will go to waste. Following so soon after the chopping and changing of net zero policies this will only serve to further undermine the decreasing confidence that industry has for this government. The Prime Minister’s suggestion that £36 billion will be redirected into transport projects across the North and Midlands implies that it is a case of either one or the other; however, the country clearly needs major investment in local, regional and national infrastructure all together as was done during HS1 and Crossrail. Instead, we are left to suffer further uncertainty as the ‘savings’ might be spent on new projects that nevertheless won’t result in spades in the ground for many years yet."

“Construction product manufacturers and the whole construction supply chain are key enabling industries for nearly all government policies, but require certainty to allow longer-term planning for skills, materials, and plant investment. This is especially true around major infrastructure projects. It is important therefore for government and industry to learn the lessons here about how such projects are delivered. In particular, government needs to seek greater consistency in terms of planning and supervision, and ensure it avoids pauses, reviews and constant changes in direction that create waste. All of these are significant causes of costs spiralling out of control. Better infrastructure planning is desperately needed within government, with robust mechanisms for oversight, accountability and delivery embedded within policy to avoid these projects becoming the victim of short-term political changes and electioneering tactics.”

This statement appears on the CPA news and blog site as "CPA Response To Government Cancellation of HS2" dated October 4, 2023.

[edit] National trust response to high speed rail 2 (HS2) at the places we care for

The Government is developing a new national high speed rail network (HS2) connecting London to Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, the most significant transport infrastructure project in the UK since the building of the motorways. In response, we have set up a project team of experts which includes rail engineers, landscape architects and landscape planners. We are working with our consultancy and local teams to undertake thorough assessments of the potential impacts of the railway and its infrastructure on places in our care. Our team then negotiate changes with the statutory bodies, especially HS2 Ltd.

Our approach to HS2 has been to engage with HS2 Ltd and present them with better ways of doing things. Through this engagement we have secured a number of commitments including regarding design of the route, environmental mitigation, enhancement measures and changes to policy. Our aim is to improve the impact on places in our care, local communities and the environment. We're playing our part to ensure that HS2 leaves a positive environmental legacy for everyone.

Our latest position statement, ss a conservation charity we continue to be concerned about the potential impact that HS2 could have on the sensitive landscapes, important habitats and communities it passes through or near, including those that we care for. We will continue to hold HS2 Ltd to account and work proactively to ensure HS2 leaves a positive legacy for the natural environment, our heritage and on communities.

This statement appears on the National Trust news and blog site as "Our response to High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) at the places we care for" updated October 4, 2023.

[edit] Other individual responses

[edit] Mace group chief executive and construction leadership council co-chair Mark Reynolds

The government’s failure to fully deliver HS2 will have “a chilling effect on the UK’s construction industry”. He said a fully delivered HS2 would have provided more than £135bn of economic benefit for the Greater Manchester area between now and 2050. In a video interview with Bloomberg, he said the cancellation of the Birmingham-to-Manchester leg of HS2 “undermines a massive amount of confidence in UK Plc. The fact is that the government aren’t willing to invest in what is the spine of a rail network providing low-carbon, high-speed connectivity through the country.” He welcomed Sunak’s pledge to maintain an HS2 terminus at Euston as part of a business and development zone, although he warned “the detail will be critical” adding “It is important that we push on with delivering the station at speed, providing clarity to industry on the pipeline of work and avoiding further disruption to the local community.”

[edit] Chloe Phelps, chief executive, grounded

"Cancelling HS2 in the North reflects a failure in leadership regarding our zero-carbon future and the broader levelling up agenda. This project was meant to be more than just a connection from London to key cities in the North; it symbolised a nationwide commitment to broader economic development, jobs creation, town centres and high streets revitalisation, affordable housing, and the enhancement of critical infrastructure. It had the potential to reduce geographical, economic, social, and health inequalities across the nation".

"With approximately one-third of the total funding already invested (£22 billion out of £71 billion), discontinuing the project now means that we will never realise the benefits of this initial investment. Cities like Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds have been planning and earmarking valuable city centre land for HS2 development for nearly a decade. Any cuts to HS2 are expected to result in billions of pounds in lost investments in these cities, hampering their future growth prospects. This move leaves the Northern regions behind in terms of economic development and sustainability, contradicting the government's commitment to narrowing regional disparities."

[edit] Jonathan Glancey, architecture critic and author of giants of steam

"HS1's goal was very clear from the start. It was a high speed railway line that would connect through the tunnel from London to Paris. It had this wonderful, crystal clear purpose. It was pretty much on time, on budget - given the complexities of the project. And that was pretty impressive. But the team knew what they were doing and it was cheered on."

"Infrastructure projects are nearly always late and over budget because they're ever so demanding and hostage to fortune. But HS2 has far too many contracts and is far too complex. And the key thing comes down to purpose - this has been unclear from the beginning. It seems people are suspicious. What is it for? So we can have 225 mile an hour trains? Sure. What's the point of that in this small country? Okay, so if it's not about speed, is it about capacity? Okay, so who benefits then? This is one of the first [major infrastructure projects] where i've thought "What's the point?".

[edit] Joe Morgan, creative director, ADP architecture

This is incredibly demoralising not only for the North but the whole of the UK. The premise of HS2 was to remove freight off the congested network to allow the arteries and therefore veins of the rail network to function properly to support growth.

[edit] National infrastructure commission chair Sir John Armitt

Said the decision not to extend HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester was “deeply disappointing, leaving a major gap in the UK’s rail strategy around which a number of city regions have been basing their economic growth plans”. He welcomed the Network North announcement but warned it was "not yet clear how the collection of schemes announced [...] will address the gap left behind by HS2". He added: “It will be for government to show it can turn the schemes into a coherent, long-term rail strategy and deliver it in a cost-effective manner, in partnership with local leaders.”

[edit] Director of policy for institution of civil engineers Chris Richards

"The lesson… is the UK must change how it approaches planning and delivering infrastructure. The stop/start approach the country takes to major infrastructure benefits no one. We need long-term plans, supported by evidence, long-term thinking on financing options, and robust and consistent policy to achieve desired outcomes."

[edit] Civil engineering contractors association director of operations Marie-Claude Hemming

“While the prime minister has promised to reinvest HS2 money in alternative schemes, we as an industry know how unlikely this will be to materialise and impact communities in anything like the game-changing way that high-speed rail would have delivered,” she said.

These comments appear on the website of Architects Journal as "Scrapping HS2 northern leg is ‘substantial setback’ – architects react" dated October 4, 2023 and Construction News article "HS2 scale-back creates ‘chilling effect’" dated October 5, 2023.