The Mayor of West Yorkshire and Leader of Leeds City Council have written to the Prime Minister, urging him to ensure land around Leeds Station continues to be safeguarded.
Mayor Tracy Brabin and Councillor James Lewis say Leeds Station is at capacity, and land to the south could provide space for expansion – boosting economic growth across West Yorkshire and improving reliability across the rail network in the North.
However it is believed that a decision to release HS2 safeguarded land, that could provide new south-facing platforms and onward rail connections, is to be taken imminently, before an evidence-led study of rail connectivity between the Midlands, Yorkshire and the North East has even commenced.
The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, said: “Failing to expand the capacity at Leeds Station would hold West Yorkshire and the North’s economy back for decades to come.
“We’re an economic powerhouse desperate to grow further – I’m calling on the Government to sit down and work with us to find a solution.
“Don’t force us to fight with one hand tied behind our back as we seek to create a better-connected North.”
In the letter, the pair say that plans to develop the station have been uncertain since the Government’s decision to cancel the eastern leg of HS2 in 2021 and were put further at risk by your statements last autumn to accelerate the release of land safeguarded for HS2 delivery.
It reads: “Our concerns were further heightened by the Network North document published at that time which, whilst including welcome commitments to the West Yorkshire mass transit and Bradford station schemes, did not include any commitments to Leeds City Station.
“The city of Leeds continues to grow, with an average of 3,000 new homes delivered annually, population growth higher than the national average, and GVA projected to increase by £12.9 billion by 2040. To support this growth, Leeds rail station must expand, with passenger numbers forecast to exceed 43 million users within the next twenty years alone.”
Councillor James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: “The value of our city’s station to our economy as well as that of Yorkshire and the North cannot be overstated, and yet we are already approaching capacity.
“We must protect the limited opportunities we have to ensure the station and railway infrastructure in central Leeds can continue to grow in order to meet ever-increasing passenger demand and not become a bottleneck for other significant new schemes such as the welcome new station for Bradford and Northern Powerhouse Rail.
“It is vital that safeguarding restrictions on land around the station are extended until the current study is completed, to help ensure that opportunities to better connect our city with the wider region and the rest of the country are not lost through short-sighted decision making.”
A DfT spokesperson said: ”We’re continuing to develop a clear programme for selling land no longer needed for Phase 2 of HS2, ensuring our approach provides value for the taxpayer and fully engages with the people and communities affected.”
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