Concerns over HS2 plans for South Yorkshire station

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Three Doncaster sites are on a shortlist for a proposed HS2 South Yorkshire parkway station.

They are among eight options which are under consideration by bosses who are looking at the High Speed rail link through the county.

Mexborough, Hickleton and Clayton are included in the shortlist of eight sites.

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Mayor Ros JonesMayor Ros Jones
Mayor Ros Jones

Also on the list are Bramley, Wales and Hooton Roberts in Rotherham, and Fiztwilliam and Hemsworth in West Yorkshire.

Hickleton Parish Council chair Christine Jackson, is concerned about the plans.

She said: “Hickleton is just a village of 110 houses.”

“I presume this station would be on the outskirts of the village. That’s all agricultural land and green belt.

Mayor Ros JonesMayor Ros Jones
Mayor Ros Jones

“As for the roads going through it at the moment, there is an A road that has too much traffic so I presume you would have a green belt area with a car park, and people would struggle to get to it.

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“You would lose the sense of it being a conservation area so I can’t really see anything good from it.”

HS2 revealed the shortlist in a meeting with Doncaster Council this week.

If the station was built, it would mean 400m trains using the station. There would be 1,700 parking spaces.

An HS2 spokesman said: “In response to calls from local leaders, HS2 has been commissioned to identify options for a parkway station in the region, in order to further spread the considerable benefits that HS2 brings.

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“At this early stage, we have identified eight locations for a potential parkway station. There are numerous factors to take into account when determining the right location, such as access to the station by road, rail and public transport as well as environmental considerations.

“We are working closely with local authorities and Transport for the North to identify the right solution for the region and are confident of making good progress. Any proposal would be subject to public consultation.”

Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, said: “HS2 are looking at potential parkway station sites and we await further details on the proposals so we can consider the impact.

“Last September, Doncaster Council unanimously opposed the new route proposal for HS2 in our region and our position is unchanged. We remain of the belief that Meadowhall is the right location for a HS2 station in South Yorkshire, which would mean there is no requirement for a parkway station.

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“We will continue to push the benefits of the Meadowhall HS2 station to the Government as the best option to provide a first class service which delivers the economic benefits originally planned from HS2 for our region.”

The Government confirmed last year it was commissioning a study into the feasibility of building a ‘Parkway Station’ along the proposed HS2 line, which runs close to the M18 motorway and would cut through towns in the Dearne Valley between Doncaster and Rotherham.

Wentworth and Dearne MP John Healey said he is determined to “make sure an HS2 station in Rotherham or the Dearne is part of the plan.”

The proposed route would cut through Mexborough’s new Shimmer housing estate. in Mexborough. Some houses on the Shimmer Estate would have to be demolished.

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