Government confirms HS2 eastern leg land sale but no decision on western leg

Safeguarding protections for the land surrounding the eastern leg of HS2 will be sold off, the Government has confirmed.

The decision likely brings an end to any possible eastern extension of HS2, after it had been cancelled in 2021.

Speaking in Parliament as part of her six-monthly update on the project, the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said that the land release would happen in a “sensible and sensitive way” with 550 properties along the former route to be offered back to their previous owners at the current market value.

Alexander added that a small section to the south of Leeds station will be kept in place, to aid with the ongoing Leeds station redevelopment. A £46 million pound scheme is currently underway at the station and expected to be completed in 2026.

The safeguarding release on the eastern leg does not affect the western leg between Birmingham and Manchester including Phase 2b from Crewe to Manchester, which was cancelled in 2023. In the monthly report to parliament, Alexander said: “Safeguarding along the former Phase 2b Western Leg (between Crewe and Manchester) is not being changed as part of this, and an update on future plans for safeguarding on this section will be provided in due course alongside broader plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail.”

In total, the spending figure for the now cancelled sections was £2.6 billion. Alexander also revealed that total cost to date was £40.5 billion. The Government had announced in the spending review last month that a further £25 billion had been released to fund the delivery of HS2 over the next five years.

Clarity in the report was given to some projects including a funding confirmation to complete the delivery of Phase 1 of works between Old Oak Common and Handsacre Junction, as well as completing the final stretch from Old Oak Common towards Euston station.

The completion of Handsacre junction had been in limbo since the cancellation of Phase 2, but now seems to be completed, allowing for HS2 to connect to the West Coast main line.

Sources had suggested to RAIL that a decision on Phase 2b safeguarding was due be made before the summer recess which begins on July 22, however that now seems unlikely, with an Autumn decision now indicated to RAIL as more likely.