Major station redevelopment opportunities around the country took a substantial step closer to being offered to the market this week after the phase 2 route of the HS2 rail link was confirmed by government.
New stations will be created in Leeds, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport and Toton in Nottinghamshire, with each expected to act as a catalyst for new commercial districts.
A consultation has been launched on the creation of a major hub station at Crewe, where Cheshire East Council has identified the potential for 6.4m sq ft of commercial development on the back of HS2’s arrival. An upcoming bill for the section from the West Midlands to Crewe will effectively act as a planning application, with the line expected to open in 2027, if approved by parliament.
No decision has yet been made on a proposed “parkway” station to serve South Yorkshire. Eight sites in Doncaster, Wakefield and Rotherham were shortlisted in January.
HS2’s eastern route to Leeds from Birmingham will run east of Sheffield, with some trains going into the city via a new spur and existing lines. No new station will be created at Sheffield, although Midland in the city centre will undergo some redevelopment to cater for the increased rail and passenger capacity.
HS2 delivery timeline
- 2026: open link from London to Birmingham
- 2027: open route to Crewe
- 2033: open routes to East Midlands, Yorkshire and Manchester
Business leaders in the North of England have called on government to join up the HS2 route with wider plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail – a proposed high-speed trans-Pennine railway also known as HS3.
Sir Nigel Knowles, chairman of the Sheffield City Region LEP, said: “To realise its true potential, HS2 must be fully integrated with wider plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail which will bring fast, frequent connections to and from Sheffield to Leeds, Manchester and the North.”
Critics have expressed disappointment that there is no new station planned at Milton Keynes, linking HS2 to the east-west line from Oxford to Milton Keynes.
Planning consultant Andrew Lainton said a station at Calvert in Buckinghamshire would have created the opportunity for a large garden city.
“Rather than every train stopping at Old Oak Common, Birmingham interchange and Crewe, I recommend that lanes are created around such stations, enabling faster services between London and Manchester direct,” he said.
“This would also open up potential for intermediate stations at Amersham, Princes Risborough, Calvert, Stoneleigh (for Leamington and Warwick) and Lichfield, Stafford and Manchester Airport – all potential major growth locations.”
City regions designated for new HS2 stations are due to submit growth strategies, which will include station masterplans, to government ahead of the Autumn Statement, when further funding allocations are expected to be announced along with development partnership opportunities.
The first major development partner to be selected for an HS2 station will be at Euston, NW1, which is the terminus for phase 1 of the route. A shortlist for a “master development partner” to bring forward a 54-acre commercial and residential project was revealed this week. It comprised: Westfield Europe; Euston Regeneration Partnership (led by Argent Related); Canary Wharf Group; Landsec; and Lendlease Europe.
The £4bn contract is due to be awarded in early 2018.
HS2 station redevelopment opportunities
Manchester Piccadilly
Station redevelopment could support around 4,500 new homes and more than 7.5m sq ft of commercial and retail space. The investment will help the neighbouring £850m Mayfield development, led by U+I, which is due to provide 1,300 homes, more than 800,000 sq ft of offices, a 350-bedroom hotel, retail and leisure facilities.
Timeframe: Government awarded £2.5m to the Greater Manchester LEP in December to create a growth strategy for Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport stations, including evidence-based assessment of the development and regeneration potential of the area and investment required. The growth strategy must be delivered to government in time for the 2017 Autumn Statement.
Leeds
A “Yorkshire hub” HS2 station is proposed for Leeds city centre, which will see the existing station redeveloped, including significant commercial development to create a “destination station”. The station is planned to be a catalyst for the continued regeneration of South Bank Leeds, the neighbouring district designated for the delivery of more than 4,000 homes and 8m sq ft of commercial space.
Timeframe: Atkins has been appointed to create a station masterplan, which is due to be published this summer. Government has awarded Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority £625,000 to create a wider HS2 growth strategy which must be submitted by September.
East Midlands
A new station has been confirmed for brownfield land at Toton, midway between Derby and Nottingham, where the local authorities and LEP have proposed a new commercial and residential quarter. Initial plans include a major high-tech research/HQ institution adjacent to the station and up to 6,150 homes by 2028.
Timeframe: The East Midlands HS2 Strategic Board, East Midlands councils and Leicester & Leicestershire LEP are currently finalising their growth strategy, which will be ready for submission later this year and has been supported by £933,000 of government funding. BDP has been appointed to create a masterplan for the site, including development partnership opportunities. The plans are due to be published in September.
Sheffield
The area will not benefit from a new station – neither at Midland, the main rail station in the city; nor at Meadowhall, where British Land and Norges Bank Investment Management are planning a £300m leisure hall extension to the 1.4m sq ft shopping centre. A new station had been the preferred option of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce & Industry. However, the city region is expected to benefit from HS2 trains running through Midland station, reducing journey times to Leeds to 30 minutes. There will also be an HS2 stop at Chesterfield station, south of the city centre.
Timeframe: Sheffield is further behind the other city regions in developing its HS2 growth strategy. The government awarded the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority £625,000 in December to create an interim growth strategy, which is due to be completed in the next 1-2 months. Once that has been submitted, the region will receive a further £625,000 to create a more detailed strategy, including station masterplans to meet the new rail and passenger capacity.
Crewe
A new hub station has been recommended by government and is likely to act as a catalyst for major commercial development. Cheshire East Council has drawn up a masterplan identifying the opportunity for 6.4m sq ft of commercial development on the back of the HS2 investment.
Timeframe: A consultation on the Crewe hub was launched by the Department of Transport on Monday and will run until 12 October. An upcoming bill for the section from the West Midlands to Crewe will effectively act as a planning application, with the line expected to open in 2027, if approved by parliament.
See also: HS2 will change the economic geography of the UK >>
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This story was originally published on 20th July 2017
