News on HS2 in Warwickshire

The number of community and business groups to receive awards from the HS2 community and business funds has topped over 100 with Warwickshire receiving nineteen awards to date totalling £943,525. The Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) for Phase One, between London and the West Midlands, make a combined total of £40 million available to local communities and businesses disrupted by the construction of HS2

Amongst Warwickshire's nineteen awarded projects is the relocation and development of Coleshill Community hub. The £75,000 funding was used to relocate the previous hub and employ a part time coordinator to run the new facility. The project aims to improve the lives of people in and around the Coleshill area by providing services to combat social isolation and issues related to their semi-rural location.

Victory Hall in Bodymoor Heath, North Warwickshire and ‘Kenilworth is Open for Business’ run by Kenilworth Town Council were amongst the other projects. Harbury pre-school received funding to modernise their facilities, and “Keeping e-wheels rolling”, a community transport service which provides electric vehicles for elderly people and young families to transport them to hospital, doctors and dentist appointments and social events, run by Harbury e-wheels, was also supported.

As we work through the COVID-19 pandemic, the approval for the next stage of the project has meant that our contractors now have the go ahead to start building the new railway whilst remaining within the Public Health England (PHE) and industry guidelines. As part of our commitment to being a good neighbour, we realise that communities are affected by the construction of HS2, and the community and business funds are key to help offset the disruption caused.

As construction of HS2 gets underway, applications for the funds are still being welcomed. The Funds for Phase One, administered by community charity Groundwork UK, support urban and rural, community, environmental and business projects. Community and Business groups along the HS2 route between London and the West Midlands have been able to apply for funds since March 2017. 

A map of all awarded projects is available here . Some of the awards in Warwickshire include:

The independent administration of these funds is managed on behalf of HS2 Ltd by the charity Groundwork who will ensure both funds remain available for applications throughout the construction of Phase One. Read the Groundwork annual review.

Community and business groups interested in applying for the fund can find out more at www.hs2funds.org.uk