NORTHWICH faces a host of problems over many years as construction of the proposed HS2 rail link takes place.

That is the stark warning from town councillor Derek Bowden about what he sees as the impact of Phase 2b of the high speed route, which is scheduled to open by 2033.

Cllr Bowden was speaking at Monday’s town council meeting after attending a HS2 consultation event at Wincham on Friday, which was attended by 800 people.

The meeting was held to explain to residents the reasons for proposed changes to Phase 2b and what compensation is available for people affected.

Cllr Bowden came away from the event unconvinced by the claimed benefits of the scheme and warning of its impact on Northwich and the surrounding area.

“I cannot see any immediate benefit to the Northwich area from the presence of HS2,” he said.

“What I can see is a whole lot of problems over many years as the construction process takes place.

“It will be focused on the east of the area around Lostock, and construction of that size is going to have a knock-on effect, affecting transport across the whole of the town.”

He said the town council’s task could be to manage and influence the construction process in a way to protect Northwich and the broader area as much as possible from the impact of the scheme.

He said: “We must do something and must try to protect our residents and those in the surrounding villages as much as possible from the damage and problems that will be caused during the construction.”

Cllr Tony Lawrenson called for a railway line diverted off the main track into Gadbrook Park because the business park was “overflowing” with cars.

He said: “There is not enough parking on Gadbrook Park, and it’s blocking the whole road system in the morning. We need that [rail] link.”

Cllr Andrew Cooper said improvements to the lines feeding the Crewe railway terminal should take place in advance of HS2 reaching there.

“There’s not a lot of point in building a fancy new terminal in Crewe, and the surrounding road infrastructure being overloaded by people trying to access it,” he said.

“There should be improvements to the lines feeding it such as from Hartford and through Middlewich from Northwich.”

The town council is to produce a draft response to the HS2 consultation and invite comments from parish councils.