Contact us
Visit CPRE.org
Donate
Local beauty spot gets a reprieve
Local people hoping to save the much-loved Sandiacre Meadows beauty spot are celebrating the recent Government decision to halt the construction of the proposed new HS2 rail link to Leeds across the meadows.
The group Save our Sandiacre beauty spot approached Derbyshire CPRE earlier this year looking for our advice about how to campaign against the destruction of the meadows by this major infrastructure project. They recently sent us an update, and some images of this lovely unspoilt area of countryside:
'Time to celebrate as in the new Integrated Rail Plan, HS2 will stop at East Midlands Parkway (EMP) rather than going north to Leeds via Toton. From EMP, it will continue on the existing rail lines, which will be upgraded, to Nottingham and Derby. This will mean no HS2 in the Beauty Spot - no viaduct through the fields and no extra bridges over the canal. There is a reason to be cautious as they are still looking at the best way to run HS2 services to Leeds and until this is done, the original route North (through the Beauty Spot) will be safeguarded ie still identified as land for the development of the railway. In the IRP, this original route is seen as highly disruptive especially as it crosses major roads so many times. There are other options for getting HS2 to Leeds so let's celebrate for now and cross that bridge when we come to it.'
Helen Thompson, Save Our Sandiacre Beauty Spot
Helen Thompson, Save our Sandiacre Beauty Spot
