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HS2 Growth
Taskforce comes to Liverpool to secure maximum boost for region's
economy
ON 8 January 2014, the HS2
Growth Taskforce has meet key figures from Liverpool City Region and
the North West, as part of a series of visits designed to ensure
regions maximise the economic benefits of high speed rail.
HS2 is set to play a key role in job creation, regeneration and
development in the North West. Services from Liverpool will be able
to join the high speed line at Crewe and travel on it direct to
London. These classic compatible trains will allow passengers to
travel seamlessly to and from the City without changing trains. This
will see a reduction in journey times to London from 2h 08m to 1h
50m from 2026 and a further reduction to 1h 36m by 2033, with travel
to Birmingham cut to 1h 10m from 1h 42m. In addition, passengers
travelling to Lancaster, Preston, Wigan, Warrington, Runcorn and
Carlisle will also be able to travel to and from London without the
need to change trains. Passengers from Chester and North Wales will
be able to access high speed services to London and the Midlands via
one change at Crewe.
Combined with the current programme of electrification and plans for
completing the Northern Hub, this improved connectivity will unlock
the enormous potential and opportunities that Cities like Liverpool
have to offer; making them more attractive places to locate and do
business. The Taskforce will also look at how HS2 can link into and
maximise growth from other big infrastructure developments, such as
the SuperPort in which £1.8bn is planned to be invested over the
next 10 years.
From Liverpool, the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury and Chair
of the HS2 Growth Taskforce Lord Deighton said:- "For
centuries Liverpool and the North West has built thriving trade and
industry by pioneering new infrastructure such as the railways,
ferries and the skyscraper. Now, investments such as the SuperPort
are cementing the region's place as a trade hub and the link to HS2
at Crewe will be vital to supporting the North West as it grows,
providing better connections to Cities around the UK and freeing up
vital capaCity on the current line. An estimated 70% of jobs from
HS2 are expected to be outside London and the Growth Taskforce is
determined to see the benefits of HS2 stretch far and wide. Growth
and regeneration will not just be handed on a plate, but by planning
ahead and thinking big, Liverpool could benefit long before the
first HS2 train arrives."
The government believes HS2 will be a key driver of jobs and growth.
While research published recently by KPMG showed that HS2 could
boost productivity across the UK by up to £15bn per year within 5
years of the railway opening. The Government sees the Taskforce as
crucial in unlocking this potential.
For places not immediately on the HS2 route, Network Rail's report,
Better Connections, shows how over 100 Towns and cities on the
existing network could benefit from quicker, more frequent journeys
and faster connections. It explains that very little additional
capaCity can be squeezed from the existing railway. HS2 will provide
Britain's main rail arteries with new capaCity, taking significant
inter-City traffic off the existing network and allowing more local
and regional services to run on these lines.
Membership of the Taskforce; an independent expert group comprising
senior business, academia and local government representatives
- was originally confirmed in July. Last Autumn it published its
initial report:- 'HS2 Growth Taskforce - The Challenge'.
In it Lord Deighton says Towns and cities across the Country need to
act now to become 'HS2-ready'. The document sets out
the key areas on which its final report will focus. It will provide
recommendations to Government later this year. HS2 will:-
► Better connect 18 of Britain's cities
either directly or indirectly;
► Provide 351 miles of track linking
London to Birmingham and Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds;
► See Phase 1 open in 2026 and Phase 2
open in 2033;
► See up to 18 trains per hour run in each
direction with the completion of Phase 2;
► See trains run at 225 miles per hour,
with the potential to increase this to 250 miles per hour.
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INDEPENDENT
CONTAINER LINE MOVES TO 1ST CITY CENTRE LOCATION IN LIVERPOOL WATERS
ICL Agencies UK Limited,
wholly owned UK arm of Independent Container Line, has moved into
its 1st Central Liverpool location after taking office space at Peel
owned Princes Dock, Liverpool Waters.
The company, previously based in Waterloo, has signed a lease for
7,000 sq ft of office accommodation at No. 12 Princes Dock. ICL
provides specialist international container transportation between
Northern Europe and the United States, with vessels calling into the
Port of Liverpool every Friday. Established in 1985, ICL is
headquartered in Glen Allen, Virginia.
Paul Sanders, General Manager of ICL Agencies UK, said on 2 January
2014:- "Having a modern central-Liverpool location is perfect
for the company as it allows us to be closer to our client base and
the business hub of the City. Our new office gives us a fantastic
view over the Liverpool waterfront and is perfectly suited for our
needs as the organisation grows."
Liza Marco, asset manager at
Peel, said:- "ICL is a
renowned international shipping company and we are pleased to
welcome them to Princes Dock, Liverpool Waters. The uninterrupted
views of the River Mersey and the back drop of the dock basin
provides organisations associated with the shipping industry the
ideal setting for both their employees and visiting clients. ICL are
the 5th maritime related organisation to choose Princes Dock as
their Liverpool base and we are keen to continue this momentum."
Princes Dock, Liverpool Waters is a hub of business activity set in
14.5 hectares within the £6 billion redevelopment scheme on
Liverpool waterfront.
Liverpool Waters received Central Government approval for its
planning permission in March 2013. The Liverpool Waters vision
involves regenerating a 60 hectare historic dockland estate to
create a world class, high quality, mixed use waterfront quarter in
central Liverpool.
Princes Dock is located adjacent to the Liver Building alongside the
cruise liner facility. The Leeds and Liverpool canal extension
passes alongside. There are more than 2,500 people employed within
Princes Dock with occupiers including Coutts Bank,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG and Atlantic Container Lines. Occupiers
benefit from on-site parking, 24 hour security, a dedicated on site
maintenance team, on site member health and leisure club,
convenience store, cafe, bars, restaurants and a day nursery.
Did you know that:- In addition to 3 Grade A
office buildings, Princes Dock is home to 2 high quality hotels; the
Crowne Plaza and Malmaison; 3 luxury apartment towers and a 760
space multi storey car park?
OFWAT FIDDLES
WITH "MARKET REFORM" FOR "SCARCE" RESOURCES IN
MONOPOLY WATER INDUSTRY AS BRITAIN FLOODS SAYS GMB
GMB, the union for water
workers, commented on the new consultation launched by OFWAT on 2
January 2014, about a blueprint to introduce market reforms to
tackle overcharging in the water industry. See notes to editors for
OFWAT open water programme and GMB release on overcharging in the
industry.
Eamonn O'Hearn Large, GMB National
Officer for water industry, said:- "OFWAT's starting points to
regulate this industry are 180 degrees removed from reality. 1st
OFWAT claim that water is a scarce resource and its use by consumers
should be curtailed by metering and the price mechanism. This claim
is total nonsense. We use less than 2% of the rain that falls in the
UK. The rest runs out to sea as the increasingly flooded rivers
shows. This spurious claim for scarCity covers up the failure by
water companies to collect enough water and the closure of
reservoirs where land was sold for development to enrich the private
equity owners of the industry. 2nd while parts of Britain is
flooding OFWAT is starting consulting on a blueprint for retail
competition in water claiming that this will mean more choice,
better service for business customers from water suppliers. Water is
a natural monopoly and no consultations will change this. You would
think they would learn from "the market" in the energy sector. The
truth is that OFWAT are fiddling with market reforms in a monopoly
water industry as Britain floods and consumers are ripped off. The
only way to stop this rip off is to create a level playing field for
consumers. This means re-nationalisation of this natural monopoly
and this has to be a top priority for the next Labour Party election
manifesto." |
