HS2: Why the race is on for Nottingham

HS2 sounds like a fabulous opportunity for Nottingham. But we also have to recognise that it’s a potentially significant competitive threat.
So may be the fact that it’s 20 years away is not necessarily a bad thing.
Examining the route it will take tells you three things: that the project is almost certain to run into opposition from people whose properties are likely to be bulldozed out of the way, and that it is an extremely ambitious civil engineering project.
In the East Midlands alone, the route tunnels directly underneath the runway at East Midlands Airport, under the M1 at two points, over rivers, through residential areas.
The third thing? If it stays anywhere near on budget I’d be amazed.
But the challenge. Being 51 minutes from London, just over 20 from Birmingham and a similar sprint to Leeds sounds like a major opportunity. And that’s the way it should be seen – an opportunity to get across the benefits of Nottingham to cities and conurbations suffering the economic and social pressures of crowding and expense.
And the benefits of Greater Nottingham and beyond and as a business and leisure destination: brilliant transport infrastructure, an international centre for life sciences research, a global centre for data analytics expertise, what should by then be a burgeoning digital/creative quarter, a thriving enterprise zone, clean technology expertise, and proximity to the high-tech engineering giant that is Derby.
HS2 could solve staffing problems for some of our indigenous businesses, too, putting them in touch with a wider pool of talent.
But HS2 also means the pressure is on Nottingham yet again to get itself into an attractive shape as a place to live and thrive – great shopping and leisure, first-rate visitor attractions, high-quality schools, a clean and safe environment.
We need that major retail development to happen so that Broadmarsh gets tidied up and the Victoria Centre modernised. We need to make the most of the castle and Robin Hood. And what about a Museum of east Midlands Industry somehwere between Nottingham and Derby (may be nearer Derby, because of a heritage that stretches from Arkwright to the best jet engines in the world)?
Much has been achieved here over the years. But HS2 means we will be compared with bigger, better places and raises the bar.
It isn’t just a train that’s barrelling down that high-speed line. It’s a big challenge.