Sadiq Khan has accused the federal government of “cancelling the [HS2] Euston terminals by stealth” in its resolution to look to the non-public sector to finish the road to central London.
The authorities nonetheless claims there may be “already extensive support and interest” from the sector to spend money on the regeneration of the world round Euston, and cites the King’s Cross and the Battersea and Nine Elms developments as examples of such schemes working.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak introduced on the Conservative get together convention in October {that a} new growth firm, separate from HS2 Ltd, would take over the supply of the Euston leg.
A DfT doc detailed plans to create a “transformed ‘Euston Quarter’” across the new station, with as much as 10,000 properties to be constructed. The proposal for the station itself nonetheless was scaled again from 11 platforms to 6, and a deliberate pedestrian tunnel linking Euston with Euston Square was scrapped. It was additionally broadly reported that with out sufficient non-public funding, the road wouldn’t run to Euston.
Until that leg is accomplished, HS2 will terminate in west London, at Old Oak Common, from which level passengers coming from Birmingham should switch onto Elizabeth line trains to journey into the centre of the town.
During Thursday’s (November 16) Mayor’s Question Time, Mr Khan described the federal government’s perception that the non-public sector pays to attach Old Oak Common with Euston as “wishful thinking”.
“It appears as if the government is cancelling the Euston terminals by stealth and leaves a crucial part of central London in a state of ongoing uncertainty,” he mentioned.
If the HS2 leg to Euston is just not accomplished, Mr Khan mentioned it could be “a betrayal of businesses in London and beyond”.
Questioning whether or not the event company would foot the invoice to complete the road, the mayor mentioned: “There’s not a cat in hell’s chance of the private sector completely paying the £6.5bn. Who’s building the tunnel from Euston to Euston Square? Who’s going to build the connection from Euston to Old Oak Common? Who’s going to improve the public realm? Who’s going to give permission for 10,000 homes, give them back to the local community?”
Speaking lately to the treasury committee, transport secretary Mark Harper mentioned the curiosity in delivering Euston by way of the event company “has been very extensive, it’s been broadly welcomed and the delivery partners are very enthusiastic”.
He added he’s “very reasonably optimistic” primarily based on different initiatives which relied on non-public funding, similar to the event at Nine Elms and Battersea.
A DfT spokesperson mentioned: “As has always been planned, the line will finish at Euston. This is a world class regeneration opportunity and there is already extensive support and interest from the private sector to invest.”
