TENS of millions of pounds could be invested across the region - including £100m just in Darlington - due to the HS2 high-speed rail project, a new Government-backed report today claims.

However campaigners have said the Government has "magicked up phantom figures" and noted that the project is mainly based on the west side of the country, casting doubt on what real benefits would come to the North-East and North Yorkshire.

The report claims that: *New train links would lead to £100m of public and private investment at Darlington station creating new business space and 1,500 new homes.

  • 3,000 jobs would be created across the Tees Valley due to a £130m a year economic boost.
  • A new Enterprise Zone connected to HS2 would create 7,000 jobs in York and £80m of investment.
  • A new 70,000sqm business park in Durham City could create 6,000 jobs.

The report, Changing Britain: HS2 Taking Root, has been published by HS2 (High Speed Two), a non-departmental public body and limited company sponsored by the Department for Transport.

HS2 chairman, David Higgins, who said local authorities have been involved in the development of HS2-related projects, added: "Two years ago, local leaders asked me to make sure that HS2 was fully integrated into the existing transport and local economies. It's an aspiration we've sought to realise, but even I underestimated how far that principle would take us."

However Joe Rukin, the Stop HS2 campaign manager, claimed the figures had "no basis on reality" and said: "It is is fitting that on Halloween, Government have magicked up phantom figures for a zombie project that will suck the lifeblood out of the railways."

Nonetheless, Labour's shadow transport secretary and Middlesbrough MP, Andy McDonald, who has long campaigned for more railway investment, was optimistic. He said: "If we can press ahead with these much needed investments, the economic returns from Tees Valley will be immense.”

THE new £50bn High Speed Two (HS2) railways could lead to £100m new business development in around Darlington station and bring 3,000 new jobs across the entire Tees Valley, today's report states.

The claims are made in the report published by the HS2 limited company, which argues a new Darlington Station Growth Hub Centre would lead to the creation of 1,500 new homes.

The Northern Echo:

Darlington Railway Station

Journey times between Darlington and London would be cut significantly, which would lead to better business opportunities for the whole Tees Valley, the report named Changing Britain: HS2 Taking Root said.

The first phase of the national HS2 project will upgrade the line between London and the West Midlands by December 2026. Phase two, which will take high speed rail from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, is expected to be completed by 2033.

It is planned that there will also be improvement to the East Coast mainline which will benefit the region.

The proposal for the new 'Growth Hub' at Darlington station has been developed by the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) and draws on research by Darlington Borough Council. That research estimates that the HS2 Growth Hub plan could, in the long-term, provide more than 3,000 new jobs and a £130m a year economic boost across the Tees Valley City Region.

It has been identified as one of the four main priorities of the TVCA, and the idea is to better integrate Darlington station with the town centre and nearby Central Park.

Proposals include new platforms and buildings at the station to allow more long distance and local rail services to stop at the town.

Bill Dixon, leader of Darlington council and chairman of the TVCA Transport Committee, said: "Our Growth Hub plans are driven by the needs of the community, but made achievable by HS2. The HS2 Growth Hub is all about realising the economic potential of Darlington and the Tees Valley region."

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Bill Dixon

David Higgins, HS2 Chairman said: "As the Changing Britain: HS2 Taking Root report and Darlington’s work proves, it is the inter-regional benefits and early planning from councils and local authorities to harness these which will transform areas such as Darlington and the wider Tees Valley region in the longer term.”

David Robinson, chief executive of PD Ports at Teesport, one of the largest industrial ports in the UK, said: “HS2 can be transformational for the economy of the Tees Valley. It will provide critical capacity on the UK rail network and also ensure the Tees Valley is at the very heart of growth in the UK for both passenger and freight markets.”

Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough and Labour's shadow transport minister, said: "Undoubtedly making Darlington Station HS2-ready will of itself act a terrific economic catalyst for economic development in Tees Valley.

"Getting those works done ahead of (the second phase) of HS2 is exactly the right thing to do. But it is not just the opportunities that are presented by being HS2 ready.

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Andy McDonald

"Other infrastructure improvements across the Tees Valley are also extremely important and the restoration and improvements at Middlesbrough Railway Station rank right up there amongst them as well as better road connectivity west east from the A19 to the A1 and a second road crossing of the River Tees on Teesside."

AMBITIOUS schemes to take advantage of an upgraded train service are being planned for York, Durham and Newcastle, according to a new Government-backed report.

A key plan is to create a new business Park at Aykley Heads, in Durham City, which would deliver 70,000sq m of new office space and 6,000 new jobs.

Newcastle Central Station would become 'an international gateway' connecting the airport to Cumbria and the rest of the North-East and in York £80m of infrastructure investment could create 7,000 jobs, Those are some the impressive claims in the Government-backed HS2 company report titled Changing Britain: HS2 Taking Root which hopes the region's economy will pick up on the improved route to Leeds, due to be completed by 2033.

The improved rail network would reduce travelling times between Newcastle and London by 32 minutes to two hours and 17 minutes. It is hoped that Durham City would benefit from increased tourism as well as the new business park.

Neil Foster, Durham County Council's cabinet member for economic regeneration and culture, said: "We hope this will see us welcome even more tourists to the area as well the improved connections to the rest of the country encouraging more and more businesses looking to locate in Durham.”

Nick Forbes, leader of Newcastle City Council, said the North East Combined Authority (CECA) has outlined a "20-year manifesto" to improve local connections between stations and improve neighbouring business centres.

He said: "We have ambitious plans to put Newcastle Central Station at the heart of of the HS2 network, making the city the gateway for the North, and this report shows clearly just how transformation the line could be to our city."

At York, much nearer to what will be the upgraded Leeds station, the plan is for a new Enterprise Zone which would create 7,000 high value jobs and help finance about £80m of infrastructure investment.

The Northern Echo:

York Station

The report goes on: "York is looking beyond the city itself in its regeneration plans, recognising that the HS2 ready hub will act as an economic magnet which also serves communities from the nearby towns of Harrogate, Northallerton, Scarborough, Selby and Thirsk."

However Joe Rukin, the Stop HS2 campaign manager, said the investment and job figures should be treated with caution.

He said: "Yet again, they have blown taxpayers money conjuring numbers which have no basis in reality, in another desperate attempt to bewitch the public into believing this colossal white elephant is a good idea.

"HS2 isn't about jobs, it isn't about regional growth, and it isn't even about transport. HS2 is about one thing and one thing only, lining the pockets of the men behind the curtain, the contractors who have been lobbying for this demonic project since the outset."

Last year the House of Lords economic affairs select committee argued that the Government should instead improve the notoriously slow-moving trans-Pennine routes. Lord Hollick, the committee's chairman, said: "The evidence we have received suggest that is likely to have a much greater beneficial impact on growth in the north."