HS2 in South Yorkshire: Rotherham Council opposes line

A group of protesters gathered outside the meeting to make their feelings known

Rotherham Council has opposed a proposed amendment to the route of the HS2 rail line in South Yorkshire.

The present line put forward by HS2 goes through the villages of Aston and Bramley in Rotherham.

At a Town Hall meeting, councillors voted against the plans, but rejected a push to persuade the government to abolish the HS2 project entirely.

An amendment was agreed by the Labour-led council to instead work with other councils to find the best way forward.

HS2 Ltd said the line will be considered by the Secretary of State this autumn.

Changes to the planned route were published in July, when HS2 announced it would scrap a proposed station at Meadowhall in favour of a stop in Sheffield city centre.

A vote took place at a council meeting at Rotherham Town Hall

Sandra Hay, one of several people who protested outside the meeting in Rotherham, said: "We're totally against HS2 coming through Bramley and destroying over 70 homes.

"We've not got a choice in the matter and the train won't stop in Rotherham, it's no use to us."

Correspondent analysis

Liz Roberts, BBC Radio Sheffield Political Reporter

While the majority of councillors were against the new HS2 route, that didn't mean unity in the council chamber.

Labour wouldn't pass the UKIP motion calling on the Government to scrap the High Speed project altogether.

Instead, the leading group said they would work with other councils and MPs to find the best infrastructure project for South Yorkshire.

Sheffield Council is unlikely to be on the Christmas card list for Doncaster or Rotherham now.

Ultimately though, money talks, and HS2 Ltd say this new plan will cost £1bn less. It's hard to imagine the Government deviating from its new track.

The proposed new route would see up to two trains per hour leave the HS2 line near Clay Cross in Derbyshire and join the existing line into Sheffield, before rejoining HS2 east of Grimethorpe.

It will run east towards the M18 before rejoining the original route south of the M62.

The proposed route (purple) passes between Rotherham and Doncaster as opposed to the original route (yellow) which passed between Sheffield and Rotherham

Paul Griffiths, phase 2 development director at HS2 Ltd, said: "There is a huge amount of support for HS2, but obviously it impacts people's lives and we understand that.

"People have a right to have their say, we want to understand their views and make the railway as good as it possibly can be - it has to stand the test of time."