“Answer to pig farm dilemma is cancel HS2”

I write to add my objection to the siting of this pig farm close to the idyllic rural,setting of Burghwallis. There is certainly the need for a pig farm of this size to provide much needed source of meat for the UK particularly when we are out of the EU. We also need to protect our few remaining villages/ hamlets such as Burghwallis.

The answer is to cancel HS2 which is totally surplus to requirements and is set to swallow up far too much of our limited source of building and agricultural land. We were told that HS2 was necessary for speeding up North/South travel. Kings Cross to Leeds takes two hours 10 mins currently via ECML and will be reduced to under two hours shortly when new Hitachi trains are introduced.

The emphasis was then switched to capacity which could be solved at much lower expense by adding two extra coaches to each train to increase capacity by 20%. Platform extensions at Leeds and Kings Cross should be comparatively easy and economical to construct with travellers to destinations along the line told to book in appropriate coaches as happens on Southern lines into London. The electrification of the Midland Line to London via Sheffield would also ease the situation. Far more important, not just to the Northern half, but to the whole of the U.K. is Hs3, linking up all the major towns and cities between Hull and Liverpool. Not only would it aid many vital industries but would take the pressure off the North/South roads and rails but would allow Hull and Liverpool to regain their importance for Import and Export of Northern products to Europe and beyond.

Ron Firth

Campsall, Doncaster