Nottinghamshire County Council says Toton HS2 land still ‘massive opportunity’ despite lack of detail

The land has become a source of political dispute in recent weeks, with parties debating whether it should be sold quickly or kept for future use and investment.

It has planning permission for housing, and council leaders have hinted at plans that could create large numbers of jobs, saying they are ‘considering all options’.

However, it’s not clear how far along these ideas are and when they might become a reality.

The land was originally purchased by the county council in anticipation of a hub for the HS2 rail line serving the East Midlands.

The eastern leg would have cut travel times between Nottingham and Birmingham from over an hour to just 26 minutes.

It was envisioned that the station at Toton would link train, bus and tram services, with 200 hectares of available land making it an attractive proposition for businesses and property developers.

But in 2021, the Toton hub was axed by the Government in favour of the high speed line reaching the East Midlands Parkway.

All the lines north of Birmingham were then scrapped completely in 2023, with the Government promising transportation funding for councils who lost out instead.

Proposals to sell the unused land at Toton were raised recently by the Independent Alliance at County Hall who said it should be sold off to fix deteriorating roads.

They described the site was a ‘white elephant’ with no future.

Coun Francis Purdue-Horan (Ind) said: “The Conservative administration speculated on it, but now the HS2 plans are in a skip somewhere.”

But the council says plans for the site are very much alive, but has remained closed-lipped on specifics or any timescales.

Coun Keith Girling (Con), cabinet member for economic development and asset management, said: “This land was bought with the benefit of planning consent for residential use and has increased in value since it was purchased.

“There is massive economic development opportunity given the potential growth at Toton, Chetwynd and Ratcliffe on Sour, and working with our partners we will consider our options and do what is right for the people of Nottinghamshire.”

An Independent Alliance amendment to last week’s budget to sell the land was rejected by both Conservative and Labour groups.

Coun Ben Bradley MP (Con), council leader, previously said: “What the Independents have suggested here would be severely damaging to the Nottinghamshire economy.

"It would destroy the opportunities that we have created at Toton to massively invest in jobs, housing and add billions of pounds to our economy, which in turn will create huge opportunities for local people for decades.”

Coun Richard Jackson (Con), cabinet member for finance, also previously described the site as a ‘a strategic land holding that will increase in value as plans for other developments and new infrastructure in the area gain pace’.

He added: “Retaining the land allows the council to shape development and ensure we maximise the benefits of the development to the local community by attracting employers to create high quality jobs, as part of an overall strategy creating 74,000 additional jobs and £4bn in Gross Value Added (GVA) across the region.”