THE leader of Cheshire East Council has welcomed Government proposals to help secure the route of the new high-speed rail HS2 via Crewe.

It follows the announcement last week that that Crewe should be the site of a north west superhub station for the HS2 high-speed rail network.

The Government launched a consultation on safeguarding the key corridor of land needed for the Phase Two of HS2 between Fradley and Crewe on Tuesday.

Council Leader Michael Jones said the move was great news and will help ensure that delivery of HS2 via Crewe can take place apace – without extra costs and delays over land acquisition or conflicting development.

“This is further great news not just for Crewe and for Cheshire East but also Stoke and North Staffordshire and beyond," Clr Jones said.

“It shows the Government’s preference for delivering HS2 via Crewe to create a real economic powerhouse in the North West of England. The benefits for the whole region will be massive.

“The Crewe HS2 Superhub will produce 64,000 jobs and boost the North West’s economic output by around £3.5 billion a year. It will also act as a major gateway for the region, energising the northern powerhouse.

“But it must be stressed that this was not just about Crewe and the Borough of Cheshire East but the wider region including Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.

“There are more than 800 acres of prime development land near to the Superhub station. We believe HS2 will unlock development sites for businesses and homes throughout Cheshire, North Staffordshire, North Wales and beyond.”

Residents on the Fradley to Crewe section of the HS2 Phase Two route are now being consulted on plans to protect the land from conflicting development.

The safeguarding consultation will take place over nine weeks and pave the way for the protection of this corridor of land and ensure new development in the area does not affect the ability to build and operate HS2 in the future.