Rob Butler MP today called on the Minister for Rail to release funding from the cancelled part of HS2 to help pay for two Link Road projects in Aylesbury. Two schemes, the South East Aylesbury Link Road and the Eastern Link Road, featured on a list of 80 shovel-ready projects identified as part of the Government’s Network North programme designed to redistribute the savings from HS2 to local infrastructure improvements.
In a debate in Parliament, Rob said:
My Aylesbury constituency is perpetually and permanently blighted by the construction of Phase One of HS2. From Fairford Leys to Walton Court, Stoke Mandeville to Wendover, construction is causing untold misery for residents with noise, traffic and daily disruption to people’s everyday lives. But at last, in October, we were given a glimmer of hope that we would finally receive some tangible benefits from HS2 by the cancellation of Phase 2.
He added:
The two road projects are absolutely critical to the future success of the town. They will ease congestion, they will reduce air pollution, and they will help spur economic prosperity: all things that we can all agree good for our communities. They are essential to support the huge amount of house building that we've already seen in and around Aylesbury and the thousands more houses that are going to be constructed in the coming years.
My town is absolutely gridlocked because of this white elephant of a project.
We desperately need our share of the money that is being saved by the decision to cancel phase 2A of HS2.
The people of Aylesbury deserve absolutely nothing less.
