The Northern Gateway partnership straddles Cheshire and Staffordshire and will work to ensure developments can take place along the route of the line, which is intended to run from London to Birmingham in a first phase and then onto Manchester and Leeds.
The new grouping aims to support growth and investment across the region, including construction of more than 100,000 new homes and the creation of 120,000 jobs by 2040.
Under the plan, Cheshire and Warrington and Stoke and Staffordshire LEPs have signed a concordat to work together. The local authorities in the plan are Cheshire East, Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, Cheshire West and Chester, Staffordshire Moorlands and Stafford.
Cheshire East leader Michael Jones said HS2 marked “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help realise the full economic potential for the Cheshire/Staffordshire region”.
He added: “Moreover, a Northern Gateway Development Zone would help supercharge the Northern Powerhouse and help successfully rebalance the economy of UK plc.
“We are confident this joint growth strategy will become a national exemplar of strategy-led regeneration and development to deliver really significant jobs and growth.”
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP chair David Frost added the innovative new partnership “represents a great opportunity with massive potential by working together to benefit local people by bringing jobs and growth to our area”.
