Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Witham Bobby]

Someone has a hell of a kick on them to be able to boot this old can quite so far down the road

[Timmer]

Someone has a hell of a kick on them to be able to boot this old can quite so far down the road

If only it had been this difficult to close lines in the 60s and 70s.

Until I see lines being reopened faster, I take whatever the government says about reversing the Beeching cuts with a pinch of salt.

[stuving]

Someone has a hell of a kick on them to be able to boot this old can quite so far down the road

If you look at this DCO^▸ (Driver Controlled Operation)'s project page, you can follow, to some extent, what has been going on. The "Examining Authority" sent its recommendations in a report to the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) on 19th July. That report is not itself public, but obviously did not say that all the requirements for approval were in place. DfT in effect took over the inquiry from the Inspectors, continuing it with a request to NSDC for the latest information (26/7/21).

After that there were three rounds of further consultation, where new proposals for these "protective" agreements were followed by a request for responses by the other parties. The closure date for the third of these was 6/10/21, and obviously there are still some areas where agreement has not been reached. You'd need to read through all the various parties' statements to be sure what issue is giving such problems, but the parties responding in the last round were:
Environment Agency     agreeing proposed documents
Exolum Pipeline System Limited     withdrawing objection
Luke Bonham     arguing against any use of diesel trains
National Trust         withdrawing objection
UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Health Security Agency       no comment
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP on behalf of North Somerset District Council - The Applicant

The last item reports that NSDC are still (8/10/21) in talks with National Grid and Western Power Disitribution about a "draft agreement [is] intended to make provision for the detailed programming of possession, access and works provided for in the National Grid (Hinkley Point C Connection Project) Order 2016 and the proposed Portishead Branch Line (MetroWest Phase 1) Order." Presumably that's all that is holding things up - not a newt or bat about, nuclear or conventional.

[Celestial]

But the statement laid to parliament specifically says that it is for further consideration of environmental matters.

[Red Squirrel]

I think stuving may have correctly identified the issue. If I've read this correctly, NGET plan to compulsory-purchase part of the route of the railway:

https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/TR040011/TR040011-001565-National%20Grid%20Electricity%20Transmission%20plc.pdf

[johnneyw]

My immediate thoughts on the matter are firstly, does this mean a delay of 6 months or a delay of up to 6 months?
Secondly, I'm surprised that any issue with NGET hadn't already been addressed as it's of national significance.

[chuffed]

If  newts weren't bad enough, we've now got the furry creatures of Wimbledon common to deal with (See Womble Bond Dickenson in stuvings post above), along with that irritating Mike Batt  (pun intended) theme song. Perhaps we could ask National Grid to send a few volts their way!

[stuving]

My immediate thoughts on the matter are firstly, does this mean a delay of 6 months or a delay of up to 6 months?
Secondly, I'm surprised that any issue with NGET hadn't already been addressed as it's of national significance.

The issue, I guess, is that the Hinkley Connection order has been in place for five years, so NGET/WPD don't see why they should have to alter it now. The only use they have for that land, as far as I can see, is to take down the two power lines that overfly Sheepway and the railway route there. That work is already underway, even visibly on Google Earth (though obviously that can't show the progress since July). I do wonder why the vesting notice had not happened before August this year, if Murphy had been on site for months by then.

[Lee]

You've got to admire the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)'s timing though - What better day to send your man to the Trowbridge meeting than the one where you say to MetroWest passengers "We are already taking away your direct services to Waterloo, now we dont know whether we want to give you Portishead either"...

[Red Squirrel]

My immediate thoughts on the matter are firstly, does this mean a delay of 6 months or a delay of up to 6 months?
Secondly, I'm surprised that any issue with NGET hadn't already been addressed as it's of national significance.

The issue, I guess, is that the Hinkley Connection order has been in place for five years, so NGET/WPD don't see why they should have to alter it now. The only use they have for that land, as far as I can see, is to take down the two power lines that overfly Sheepway and the railway route there. That work is already underway, even visibly on Google Earth (though obviously that can't show the progress since July). I do wonder why the vesting notice had not happened before August this year, if Murphy had been on site for months by then.

He has a point: https://goo.gl/maps/g1CfgQVtNvicGpWe8

[infoman]

Stand by for some attendees not to be able to attend the meeting in Trowbridge.

[grahame]

Stand by for some attendees not to be able to attend the meeting in Trowbridge.

?

We have carefully made it a hybrid meeting and an opportunity to listen and ask; numbers in the room will NOT be a "number show". Petition now at 3,002 - there's your numbers, if you like ... 753 in the constituency which includes Trowbridge Station, 723 in the one which includes Bradford-on-Avon ...

Edit to add - bolding above; the meeting invite says "Space may be limited and we encourage you to attend via Zoom." - the meeting room being an operations hub and place for those who cannot be online.

[TonyK]

The issue, I guess, is that the Hinkley Connection order has been in place for five years, so NGET/WPD don't see why they should have to alter it now. The only use they have for that land, as far as I can see, is to take down the two power lines that overfly Sheepway and the railway route there. That work is already underway, even visibly on Google Earth (though obviously that can't show the progress since July). I do wonder why the vesting notice had not happened before August this year, if Murphy had been on site for months by then.

The website for the Hinkley C connection project shows the removal of the two existing 132 KV overhead lines that cross the line between Sheepway and the new station, to be replaced by a new 132 KV underground cable which, if the map is accurate, will go below the line at the Sheepway road overbridge. There will also be a brand spanking new 400 KV overhead cable crossing close by, and temporary access routes into the Sheepway compound. The whole of the work isn't due for completion until 2024, which I hope doesn't mean nothing can happen on the railway before then.

Womble Bond Dickinson (UK^▸ (United Kingdom)) LLP on behalf of North Somerset District Council - The Applicant

I thought they only got involved on the Underground / Overground.

[PhilWakely]

Womble Bond Dickinson (UK^▸ (United Kingdom)) LLP on behalf of North Somerset District Council - The Applicant

I thought they only got involved on the Underground / Overground.

At least their services should be free

[stuving]

The view Red Squirrel linked to is looking away from where the overhead lines cross the railway, and must be the temporary haul road built for constructing the new pylon line and/or the underground cable. This appears to have been put in very hurriedly in July, somewhat to NSDC's surprise. But that may be a good thing - if NGET and WPD are willing to get their work in this area done quickly so they can release the sites early for railway construction.

It's hard to cross-reference the HPCC Order or any other documents to sites without the reference map, which I can't find on line (it may only exist at NGET's offices in the Strand). But this letter from the Wombles states the situation at NSDC in response to the SoS's first letter of 26th July; the main bit is this:

However, on 4 August 2021 NGET served on the Applicant a notice under section 3 of the Compulsory Purchase (Vesting Declarations) Act 1981 of its intention to compulsorily acquire rights and impose restrictions over any of plots 139, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 174, 181, 183, 184 and 199 of section F in the HPCC DCO^▸ (Driver Controlled Operation). Temporary possession notices were served under Article 29 of the HPCC DCO by NGET in November 2020 and a temporary at-grade crossing has been constructed over the disused railway at plot 02/70. Further, a temporary haul road and improvements to access arrangements off Sheepway have been provided for the construction of all stages of the HPCC DCO works in this area including the dismantling of W-Route OHL^▸ (Over-Head Line) (shown as work 4D of the HPCC DCO at Appendix 1 of REP7 – 048). The Applicant understands that the dismantling works are programmed to be undertaken between August and October 2021. As a result of the notification of an intention to vest, as well as the use of temporary notices and the fairly extensive ongoing works, the Applicant's approach to the protective provisions it had sought in the draft DCO at REP7-056 has altered. The Applicant therefore attaches at Annex 3 revised protective provisions which it has proposed to NGET and which in many respects come closer to the protective provisions submitted by NGET at Deadline 4 at REP4-046. The Applicant also attaches at Annex 4 a comparison to NGET's submitted protective provisions. For the avoidance of doubt NGET has not at this stage accepted the Applicant's revised protective provisions.

As I said, you can't easily work out exactly what is what, but the general idea is clear. WPD also banged in a vesting notice on the same day, which I guess is for the underground cable (which is theirs). As to where that goes, who knows? But I would not rely on the crayon line on the project website's map as being accurate.