Ashby MP Andrew Bridgen has welcomed a recommendation by the National Infrastructure Commission to site the HS2 East Midlands Hub at East Midlands Parkway rather than Toton.

The plans unveiled today (Wednesday) will see the HS2 line run to the existing East Midlands Parkway Station instead of Leeds.

HS2 is due to run along the route of the current A42 close to Measham and Ashby.

Mr Bridgen, Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire and a long time opponent of the scheme, commented: "With the HS2 budget ballooning beyond even my pessimistic predictions, I welcome some common sense creeping into the scheme with the proposal to cancel the line north of Parkway, whilst there is an existing conventional rail line in place.

"I first raised the possible use of East Midlands Parkway as the Hub station four years ago and put together a dossier for the Transport Secretary and Minister at the time.

"It seemed to me to be a logical solution given the extensive parking provision, close transport links to the M1 and M42 with the duelled A453 offering easy access, existing links to Derby, Nottingham and Leicester together with 700 acres of development land with the decommissioned Radcliffe on Soar Power Station.

"Toton offered nothing on this scale and made little strategic sense. I am only disappointed that it's taken this long for this to be seen despite my lobbying of Ministers, neighbouring colleagues and Councils.

"I still believe there are better ways of spending the HS2 budget, however, we have to make the best of a bad job and having the Hub at East Midlands Parkway reduces unnecessary costs and has far more potential than Toton.

"Parkway is five minutes away from East Midlands Airport and the Nottingham tram system, indeed it gives the opportunity to link to both of these.

"I still believe there are tweaks that can be made in the line to limit the impact on the constituency but this is a much better result for the District."