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Responsible business and communities

HS2 is a catalyst for growth and provides the platform rebalance and level up the country.  It will be the new backbone of the UK’s transport network, linking four of the country’s five largest economic regions– the Scottish Central Belt, the North West, the Midlands and London and the South East – increasing trade, business and jobs and regenerating towns and cities.

We are working with communities, businesses and local stakeholders to make sure the benefits from this once in a generation project are realised, supporting inclusive growth for all.

We work hard to connect with local communities and treat them with respect and consideration, understanding the unique characteristics of each place we work in.

The goal of our community and business funds is to support community cohesion, the local environment and local economies.

Inclusive growth

Transport infrastructure has the capacity to transform lives; to bring more opportunities within reach; to broaden our horizons and enrich our lives. These better connections will bring Britain closer together, helping spread wealth around the country and bridge the gap between London and the rest of Britain.

We are working with communities, businesses and local stakeholders to make sure the most is made from this once in a lifetime opportunity. The HS2 project is helping to bring substantial regeneration through inward investment, job creation and new housing to the places where we are building the railway, including around our stations and depots.

Along the route regional development teams have been established by local authorities and we are working with them to support growth opportunities for their communities. The HS2 Growth Strategies are designed to spread the benefits of HS2 beyond station cities. Local Authorities are integrating HS2 into transport and economic plans to ensure growth does not just support business, investment and city centres.

Connecting with communities

We will treat local communities with respect and consideration, understanding the unique characteristics of each place we work in.

Our teams are working with local communities along the route through our employee volunteering programmes. We are focusing our volunteering on supporting:

  • Skills, education, and employment
  • Social mobility
  • Protecting and enhancing the environment
  • Helping communities to thrive

With the charity Groundwork, we are helping to positively transform the environment in several community locations in Birmingham and London along the Phase One route.

We are also working with the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF). Our employees support the SMF’s programmes that are helping young people from low-income backgrounds to reach their full potential both at university and in their careers.

Our employees Education Ambassadors work with young people to show them the wide range of jobs and skills that are needed to plan, build and operate HS2. They also promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (the STEM subjects) at schools along the route of HS2 and support people undertaken work experience weeks at HS2.

Our employees have clocked up over 3,400 hours of volunteering supporting local communities, social mobility, education and employment, and the environment.

We have been carrying out the biggest archaeological dig this country has ever known. Through this work, which we are sharing widely with the public, people will be able to discover more about the history of the places where they live and work.

Community and business funds

There are two funds available to community groups and local businesses that are impacted by the construction of Phase One of HS2 from London to the West Midlands and Phase 2 a from the West Midlands to Crewe.

The Community and Environment Fund (CEF) aims to leave a sustainable legacy. provides two types of funding. CEF local focuses on quality of life and environment in individual communities. CEF strategic focuses on large projects that go across several communities and address broader rather than purely local concerns.

The Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) supports local economies that are demonstrably disrupted by the construction of HS2. Applications are invited for capital or revenue funding from £10,000 up to a maximum of £250,000. Through this funding, we are looking to fund interventions that will have a positive impact on local economies (this may include several small schemes that are brought together in a package of interventions).

In Your Area Map

To find out more about who has been awarded funding please view this interactive map.

Find out more

Road safety fund

A £30 million road safety fund will provide funding for 13 areas along the Phase One route of the rail line between the West Midlands and London. The money can be used for calming measures, safer pedestrian crossings or safer junctions for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. By the end of 2021 nearly £4 million from this fund had been requested by 10 local authorities.

In 2018 a further £6.5 million was made available by the Government towards road safety on the second phase between Crewe and the West Midlands.

Art and culture programme

HS2’s Arts and Culture programme is an important area of our work that will run throughout the life of the project. It will make a positive contribution to the overall impact of the architecture and landscape along the route. While the permanent art commissions will enrich the journeys of the millions of people who use HS2, numerous arts and culture projects are already engaging communities along the route.

Here are some examples of what we are doing.

As part of our Arts and Culture programme, we’re running several projects to engage communities along the route. In Digbeth, Birmingham, near to our Curzon Street station site, we are working with two art organisations – Grand Union and Beatfreeks Arts, to deliver workshops for young people exploring the past, present and future connections between communities and city infrastructure.

In Old Oak Common, London, we are working with Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation and arts charity Create London on a joint community engagement project at McVities Biscuit factory for 600 factory workers and seven local SMEs.

We are also working with the Canal and River Trust in several rural areas along the route where HS2 intersects with the canal network. We are establishing a series of creative workshops on the canals and in nearby community centres that explore how creativity can support community well-being.

Further information

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