WIREDGOV

Commission to help realise economic growth potential from the Solent to the Wash.

• Crossrail 2 will unlock up to 200,000 new homes and support 200,000 additional jobs across London and the South East
• Members with wide-ranging experience set to ensure full potential for new jobs and homes can be delivered

The Chairman of the Crossrail 2 Growth Commission, Sir Merrick Cockell, has announced the appointment of the members who will be working with him to help realise the wider economic and social benefits of the proposed new rail line.

Crossrail 2 will serve London, Hertfordshire, Surrey and other parts of the South East. It is vital to meet the demands of a rapidly growing population. The railway will enable up to 30 trains per hour, in each direction, to cross central London and connect into the Underground and National Rail networks. It will also free up additional train capacity across the South East, including Hampshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, supporting new homes, jobs and economic growth not just in London, but from the Solent in the South to the Wash in the East.

Plans for the Crossrail 2 Growth Commission were announced by the Mayor in July, where he outlined how the body will help ensure that opportunities for regeneration, house building and job creation, made possible by Crossrail 2, could be developed to their full potential.

The latest analysis suggests that the railway will unlock up to 200,000 new homes and support 200,000 additional jobs across London and the South East. This includes a significant increase in central London employment, which has the highest productivity in the UK.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said:

'We know that the benefits of Crossrail 2 are huge, but they will have to be properly planned for if they are to be delivered with maximum effect. Sir Merrick has assembled a stellar cast to work alongside him and under his stewardship the Crossrail 2 Growth Commission sets off firmly on the right track. The work of the commission will be absolutely vital to ensuring that Crossrail 2 becomes a transformational railway, delivering economic growth, new homes and jobs in London, the South East and across the UK.'

Over the coming months, the Commission will work with the London boroughs, county and district councils outside London and other key stakeholders along the route. Their work will ensure that the design of Crossrail 2:

• Best supports major housing opportunities along the Crossrail 2 route to provide for the wider South East's rapidly growing population;
• Encourages growth in employment, job creation and productivity at both national and regional level;
• Is considered in the supporting infrastructure and other investment that will be required to maximise the opportunity.

An important role of the Commission will also be to encourage more effective joint working between key stakeholders.

Sir Merrick Cockell, Chairman of the Crossrail 2 Growth Commission, said:

'The Growth Commission will play a significant role in aligning plans for the vital new railway with creating jobs and homes in the areas they are needed, utilising the wide-ranging experience of the team. By doing this work now we can ensure we make the most of the opportunities and deliver the maximum benefits across the entire route and beyond.'

Michele Dix, TfL's Managing Director for Crossrail 2, said:

'Whilst the proposed Crossrail 2 scheme will be a vital new transport link, we know it can be much more than that, transforming areas from the Solent to The Wash. The Growth Commission will make recommendations which can be worked into our plans now to help realise these benefits.'

The Growth Commission will report in spring 2016, allowing the Crossrail 2 team to ensure plans for local development and the route are aligned as work progresses with the scheme. Should the scheme get the go ahead, it is expected that construction will commence in 2020 with services starting in 2030.

The members of the Growth Commission are:

• Sir Merrick Cockell - Chairman of the Growth Commission. He has worked in local government roles since 1986 and is the Chairman of the Local Capital Finance Company
• Daniel Moylan - Deputy Chair of the Growth Commission and Mayoral Adviser for Crossrail 2 and Aviation
• Greg Clark - Chair of London Stansted Cambridge Consortium and member of the London Enterprise Panel
• Geoff French - Chair of The Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership
• Lord Adonis - Transport expert and former Secretary of State for Transport
• Baroness Valentine - Chief Executive of London First, a strategic organisation representing businesses across the Capital, and a Trustee of the housing association the Peabody Trust
• Richard Blakeway - Deputy Mayor for Housing, Land and Property
• Bob Neill - MP for Bromley and Chislehurst and former Shadow Local Government Minister
• Chris Duffield - Local government expert having held roles at the GLC, Bexley and City of London
• Nick de Bois - Former MP for Enfield North
• Richard Akers - Non-executive Director at Barratt Developments Plc, an engineer and member of RICS

A public consultation into Crossrail 2 will begin in October, providing more information on the proposed alignment and stations.

Notes to Editors:

• Crossrail 2 will run underground through new 36km twin-bore tunnels between Wimbledon and Tottenham Hale and New Southgate, joining with the existing National Rail networks in Surrey and Hertfordshire. It will provide a number of interchanges with the Underground and National Rail network.
• Crossrail 2 will create a new high frequency, high capacity rail line with shorter journey times between south west and north east London. Its route is designed to address capacity constraints as well as providing vital new connections across the capital supporting the UK's single largest employment area, providing opportunities for thousands of new jobs.