End of Chesterfield restoration?

THE North East Derbyshire MP Natascha Engel, believes the proposed building of the High Speed Rail link (HS2) could stop the restoration of the Chesterfield Canal.

Writing in the local Derbyshire Times she tells that her first official engagement as an MP was to take part in the Chesterfield Canal celebrations at Tapton Lock, and states 'the High Speed Rail link from London to Leeds (HS2) has put a stop to all of that'.

Accuracy

She points out that the Chesterfield Canal Trust has already raised its concerns about the accuracy of the information that the engineers have been working on—with roads that don't exist on the map but parts of the canal that are filled in already, missing from the plans, and that with the consultation ending next month their is inadequate time to study the detail, particularly about what the other options were.  With Natascha adding:

"But most importantly, a project that is unlikely to bear fruit for 20 years means that already planning permissions will not be granted and houses become difficult to sell. Worst of all is the uncertainty. What if it runs out of money and steam before this stretch is even built?

"Big infrastructure projects can be very exciting, bring jobs and rejuvenate local economies. But done the wrong way, they can have the opposite effect. HS2 is cutting through the canal in Renishaw and Killamarsh. The regeneration that the canal would have brought has gone.

"The amount of money it would cost to finish the canal and build the train around it is minimal in comparison with the total cost of the project. That would be an argument I could support—in return for the blight of the train, we get our canal fully restored: local and national economic growth, and perfectly possible."

Consultation meetings

Natascha Engel will be holding consultation meetings in areas affected by the proposed HS2 route on 9th March:

Renishaw & Spinkhill Community Hall, Main Road, Renishaw, S21 3UX—1.30pm to 3.00pm.

Killamarsh Church Hall, The Rectory, Sheepcote Road, Killamarsh S21 1DU—4.00pm - 5.30pm