As a result of the decision by BBC Radio Sheffield to exclude Yorkshire Against HS2 from the key HS2 Debate on December 1st in Sheffield in preference to pro-HS2 business & community groups, a key fact was prevented from coming into the public domain. Namely that the planned amount of tunnelling on the new M18 Eastern Route has been halved from 4% to 2% of the route. It is worth reminding ourselves that the "new" route is an old proposal from 2009 called "East of Rotherham" and was rejected by HS2 Limited themselves in 2011 due to the high costs, high impacts and low connectivity compared to other routes including the previously recommended Meadowhall route which HS2 Limited advocated between 2012-2016. (This route is not dead, and as it is less impactful and less costly & gives higher connectivity it may well be readopted) So compare the 2% under tunnel on the M18 Eastern Route proposal with the 17% of tunnel on the London-Birmingham Leg (a total of 54km of tunnel costing £5 billion) with the 24% of tunnel on the Birmingham to Manchester Leg (total of 32km costing £3billion) with the mere 5km (2%). This tunnel at Woodlesford was the result of a 3 year campaign against the proposed Viaduct. Also remember that a proposed 2km length of tunnel under Hickleton which was including in the East of Rotherham plan from 2009-11 was dropped from the resurrected proposal. The claimed £768m saving from the M18 Eastern Route would be swallowed by the necessary mitigation tunnels needed to protect communities in Mexborough, Bramley, Crofton and Hickleton amongst others which would add a minimum of £800m to the costs of the proposal, wiping out the one off saving of £300m from not building a HS2 station in Sheffield at Meadowhall.
Indeed if the level of tunnel mitigation offered on the London to Birmingham or Birmingham to Manchester routes was provided to Yorkshire communities it would add another £4 billion to the cost of construction as tunnels cost £100m per Km. Yorkshire people would say that Yorkshire landscape rivals the Chilterns in beauty and Yorkshire homes are as important as those in London,Birmingham or Manchester.
Hi Yorkshire Against HS2, Here in the Colne Valley, Hillingdon, London we have not got a tunnel. We got threatened obliteration of the wetland, nature reserves we live and work in. I am the passenger boat operator for Arthur Daily Trips, and take groups into the nature reserves along the Grand Union Canal. 2 kilometers of canal and canal-side land is within Bill limits. This is a very popular spot.We are determined to protect as much as we can. Please come to visit if you are coming to London. Denham Station is at the edge of the nature reserve. Uxbridge is also very close.
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