Notts council announce partner for ‘once in a generation’ HS2 project

Nottinghamshire County Council has announced that regeneration specialists, LCR, will be spearheading the new East Midlands HS2 station at Toton.

According to the council, the new HS2 station presents a ‘once in a generation opportunity’ for the local, regional and national economy. This will include new infrastructure, homes and thousands of new jobs before and after the expected opening in 2033.

LCR, which is wholly owned by the Department for Transport, is a property and regeneration company with a 20-year track record of creating new homes, jobs and economic growth from transport-linked schemes. They were behind the redevelopment of King’s Cross and Stratford City, two of London’s most successful regeneration schemes in recent years.

Councillor Kay Cutts, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and Chairman of the Toton Delivery Board, said: ‘The arrival of HS2 has the potential to provide massive economic benefits for Nottinghamshire and the wider region, so it is important we are in a position to maximise that potential.

‘This is a once in a generation opportunity with the potential to benefit local people and our economy for generations to come, but we must plan and act now if those benefits are going to be achieved.

‘There is still much work to do to formalise the development body, which may take some time and be subject to Parliamentary assent, so it’s our intention to work with LCR in the interim on the preliminary work and to assist in the creation of the development body.’

David Joy, chief executive of LCR said: ‘As a platform for driving investment in the local economy, the potential benefits of HS2 are vast. Our proposed partnership reflects Nottinghamshire County Council’s forward-thinking approach to maximising the regeneration benefits offered by better connectivity and the creation of a major new transport hub.

‘Together, we will ensure the region is in the best possible position to take advantage of this unique opportunity to attract investment and create new places and community assets that Nottinghamshire can be proud of.’

Pending legal sign off of the agreement, LCR will get to work with the County Council immediately on issues like land assembly, property management and master planning, ultimately paving the way for the creation of a locally-led development body to fast track growth and infrastructure investment in and around the new station.