“Good News – but Impact Lessened, not Removed”

Conservation Area – Mill Street from Proposed HS2 Route, not now to proceed.

Residents will already be aware that this week the Government announced its decision not to adopt the change of route for HS2 to the east of Measham, first proposed in November 2016. This is good news for the village, as that revised route was the worst of all options, not only for Packington but also for neighbouring villages. Many of the objections that we included in our response on behalf of the village are referred to in the analysis of responses supplied to the Secretary of State.

Since the 9th March, when the consultation period closed, the Response Team has continued to lobby Ministers, and indeed the Prime Minister, seeking a less harmful route.

We have been told by HS2 Ltd that they were surprised by both the number and the quality of the responses to the consultation about the route change in this area. SLC Rail, who are consultants to the District Council, have said that we should be proud of our achievement in overturning the route change proposal, as it is rare for this to happen.

We would like to thank the many residents of Packington, and their friends and family outside the village, who made the effort to submit individual responses to the consultation. Without your involvement we probably would not have achieved this outcome. The weight of objections really does seem to have made a difference.

Map showing Confirmed HS2 Route and A42 past 5-ways Junction, Packington, and Ashby. Tap or click the map for full Government details

Sadly Packington will still be faced with the constructional and operational impacts of a high speed rail line close to the village. The impact has been lessened, not removed. Consequently the Response Team will continue to lobby HS2 Ltd during the design stage, in order to minimise the adverse effects on Packington and its residents as far as is possible.

We look forward to the continued support of the people of Packington.

Richard Jones
Chairman, Packington HS2 Response Team