Curzon Street Station to be reopened for HS2

• Mar. 18 by Louise Denny (1)

Birmingham’s iconic Curzon Street station could be reopening to connect with the new high-speed rail service from Birmingham to London.

Lord Adonis of the House of Lords was reported by the BBC as saying:

‘Subject to this consultation, the London terminus for the high-speed line would be Euston [and] the Birmingham city centre station would be at Curzon Street…’

This would seem to be good news for the old station, situated at the rear of Millennium Point as it would not only be back up and running, but it would once again be at the forefront of the cutting edge rail business – as it was when it first opened in 1938.

However, the Birmingham Conservation Trust has warned of a possible clash between building conservation and landscape conservation.

The National Trust in the Thames and Solent region are said to be ‘dubious’ about the proposal, after the BBC reported Patrick Begg – director for the National Trust’s Thames and Solent region – as saying that the route could cause ‘serious and significant impacts on the landscape’.

The National Trust appears to be fretful about the environmental issues in opening the new HS2 line, and claim that they are ‘yet to be convinced’ that the government have fully taken into consideration the environmental factors surrounding the proposal.

It seems then, that this could be a long and difficult battle between building conservation and restoration and landscape conservation.

Whilst the idea of the Curzon Street Station being conserved and restored to its former glory could heavily sway many of Birmingham’s residents, organisations such as The National Trust will not be alone in flying the flag for the conservation of Birmingham’s natural areas and landscapes.