Boris Johnson admitted that cancelling HS2 would be ‘political suicide’ at a meeting just days before he became prime minister, according to a leading west midlands businessman.

Steve Hollis, chair of the West Midlands HS2 Growth Delivery Board, told our HS2 Economic Growth Conference that he and the conurbation’s elected mayor Andy Street had met Johnson a few days before he was elected as the party’s leader by Conservative members to discuss the project.

“He said it would be political suicide to cancel HS2,” he said. [emaillocker id=”71749″]

HS2 is crucial to the economic success of the whole UK as well as his own region, Hollis said: “I cannot see how we can continue to deliver the level of activity that HS2 has already delivered. There’s no way that flight trajectory can continue unless we have HS2: it’s as simple as that.

“We are kidding ourselves unless we can create modern infrastructure, it will not work. This is not only critical to the midlands. If we are serious about rebalancing the economy, we need to get our digits out and get that fixed.

“My fear is that if Doug and his report results are something we don’t want to hear it’s going to set us back in the midlands and this country for decades.

“The international audience is looking at this country: HS2 is a huge vote of confidence by the government of this country that we are open for business,” he said, adding that the project had already helped to increase the region ‘s attractiveness to overseas investors,

And Hollis, who is a former chairman of Aston Villa FC, expressed concerns that any delay to the project will be more protracted than the three years suggested by HS2 chairman Allan Cook in the report that he had presented to transport secretary Grant Shapps.

“If there is a plan to slow this down, I would suspect that it won’t as be as straightforward as three years.”

Jonathan Bretherton, managing director of the Urban Growth Company which is spearheading development around the mooted HS2 Birmingham International station, urged Johnson to have the “courage of convictions”, pointing to the new prime minister’s past track record of support for large infrastructure projects.

Maria Machancoses, programme director of Midlands Connect, agreed with Hollis that investors would take a dim view if HS2 is held up.

“Business tells us that delay is not helpful. Let’s make it happen and keep that momentum, we don’t want it to slow down.”

She said that capacity released on the existing rail network by HS2 will create space for an additional 5,000 more seats in and around Birmingham every day.

Machancose added that Midlands Connect has plans to double the hourly operation of trains to Birmingham International station from Solihull, Leamington, Banbury and Reading.

Ben Gray, project director of the Arden Cross, said that cutting the surface car parking from the levels proposed in HS2’s masterplan for Birmingham International could double the amount of floorspace that can be delivered at the site.

He said that Arden Cross is using a development appraisal to examine how cutting the number of surface car parking from the current number of 7,400 spaces could increase the development area from 33 ha to 66 ha.

Tony Williamson, group operations director at the NEC Group told the event that its 2030 masterplan had already “massively “changed as a result of HS2.

The NEC will be developing its estate for more business, retail and leisure in order to capitalise on HS2, he said: “It’s been a headache but a good one and caused us to think bigger and in a more innovative way.”

The conference also heard that the proposed station at Curzon Street, which is about half a km long to accommodate HS2’s 440m long trains, will be bisected in order to improve connectivity in the surrounding neighbourhood..

Tom Wilne, west midlands project director for HS2 Ltd, said: “We need to make sure we don’t build a wall, which would cut off that part of Birmingham so we will have lot of walking and cycling route through.” [/emaillocker]