£3m pot to ease the pain of HS2 through Staffordshire

The money will be able to pay for projects, including cycle schemes, to mitigate the severe impact of phase one.

Work will churn up 12 miles of land in the county from Lichfield to Handsacre where the spur will be built linking to Stafford railway station via the West Coast Main Line.

Some surrounding roads are set to see a huge increase in HGV traffic, such as the A515 Lichfield Road which is expected to see a 92 lorry journeys every hour.

The work will also affect the county’s canals, with the route running close to the Trent and Mersey Canal.

The money has been awarded by the Government to Staffordshire County Council and is available to spend until 2026.

Lichfield District Councillor Richard Cox, who represents Armitage and Handsacre, said some of funds should be used to widen the B5014, but questioned whether that would happen.

The Tory councillor said: “I think this is false money, which will never materialise.

“I have deeply opposed the whole project. It has been a complete waste of money and this just sounds like the Government throwing sweeteners at the council who should not be getting into bed with them.

“If we were to put cycle paths and footpaths on the B5014 I would be grateful and I would welcome the money if it was going to benefit Armitage and Handsacre but I suspect it won’t because to HS2 Handsacre does not matter.”

He added: “We are completely blighted for a spur joining the West Coast Main Line which is totally unnecessary. I am a Conservative and I think the Government is completely bonkers with HS2.”

Phase One has already been given Royal Assent, while Phase Two which passes through a further 33 miles of Staffordshire land is still going through Parliament.

Councillor Mark Winnington, Staffordshire County Council’s HS2 boss, said: “The high speed rail line will run through 45 miles of Staffordshire in total and from the outset we have been committed to getting the best deal for Staffordshire and our communities in terms of mitigation, compensation, access to faster journeys via the Stafford HS2 hub and a share in the jobs and wider economic benefits.

“The HS2 project is likely to be the biggest national transport scheme we will see delivered in our life time. The impact of the construction and operation will be significant in the coming years, so I am pleased this fund will allow us to invest in schemes which will help keep our roads even safer for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

“We will work with both communities and HS2 to prioritise those schemes in the Phase One area to bring the biggest safety benefits to local communities.”