Solihull Borough Councillors David Bell (Meriden Ward) and Bob Sleigh (Bickenhill Ward) have written to SMBC requesting confirmation that Solihull Council will commission a range of studies to support the forthcoming government consultation for the High Speed Rail line.
They have also asked that community groups and other interested parties who have limited resources of their own are given access to the studies.
Cllr David Bell said “It is important that we have available a range of information to give us the best opportunity to respond effectively on behalf of Solihull people to the forthcoming government consultation on Hs2. We have a good record in Solihull of commissioning and sharing information to deal with major infrastructure projects. We want the same commitment to this debate that we had for the second runway proposals for Birmingham Airport and we want to reflect all opinion in the response we make”.
Cllr Bob Sleigh said “I doubt the consultation will be a straightforward Yes or No to Hs2. It will be more subtle than that, and will require an informed response to a range of issues and we need a commitment now to commission the work to allow us to respond effectively on behalf of Solihull. We need to put the information from the studies in the public domain so that they can be scrutinized and commented on before our response to the consultation is made”.