High Speed 2 Line: Employment
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure communities in areas of high unemployment are impacted by regeneration opportunities created by HS2.
Answered by Keir Mather
The Government is taking steps to ensure that communities in areas of high unemployment benefit from the regeneration opportunities created by HS2. Areas around HS2 stations and depots include some of the most deprived communities in the country, and work is underway to identify and bring forward HS2 land in these locations for development as early as possible to support regeneration.
Investment in the area is already happening, for example the BBC has already opened their new West Midlands’ and Digbeth Loc studios, the base of the 2026 Peaky Blinders film, largely in part to HS2’s proximity to the area. At Washwood Heath, the depot for HS2 trains, surplus land will be released for development when no longer required by the HS2 scheme, creating jobs and regeneration for the local community. Furthermore, HS2 has a presence in the Washwood Heath job centre and has already provided employment opportunities to people from the area. And at Interchange MHCLG and DfT are working together with the local authorities and developers to support decisions on choices for housing at the new mixed-use development.
These effects will support urban regeneration and development around HS2 stations, revitalising cities and surrounding areas—such as Birmingham and the West Midlands—by attracting investment, businesses, and residents, and ensuring that local communities share in the benefits of this growth.
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