Here is the latest press release from Pilning Station Group concerning 2018-19 station usage numbers
https://drive.google.com/open?id=108GJDN7-VS9EG71XqLYj3JuoiVg5Fmjm

That's the NR^» (Network Rail - home page) compound in Pilning village. The idea to relocate the station looks great on paper. However, the local consensus is still such that the station should stay where it is - away from the village, closer to the Wave, and easier to get to from the M5 and Thornbury.

We checked with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) too, seeking their opinion. They were rather elusive, but reading between the lines, we drew the conclusion that a station so close to the Severn tunnel might cause a massive bottle neck (due to the speed restrictions on the loops, among other things), unless the tracks are relaid to allow a wider angle.

OK, so I missed the opportunity to ask the question this time. But if there is another occasion, please could you ask GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to clarify exactly who should "authorise" the stopping of IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) in Pilning, and what the correct process would be to request that GWR clear Hitachi Class 800s to call at Pilning?

I refer to the article in Thornbury Gazette  https://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/18012186.dispute-changes-one-pilnings-two-trains-week/ where GWR said: "Unfortunately we are not authorised to call our new Intercity Express Trains at Pilning".

Thank you.

As far as I know, the SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) mechanism was created exactly for stations like Pilning, so the stop can be programmed in. Some prep work including testing will be required, and that will take time, that's obvious.

I would not say it was either an oversight or a conscious decision made by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) not to include Pilning into the SDO diagram. If there is no requirement, as such, no decision needs to be made.

A more interesting question would be, whether giving the 15:34 Pilning slot to a freight company was a deliberate move of Network Rail's, or a simple oversight on their behalf. But I'll leave it to the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) to enquire about, if this is of interest to them.

Pilning Station Group were not informed officially that the freight train will get in the way.
This is the response given to us by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on 18 October: -

"We’re making this change because our 1500 Cardiff-Taunton will operate as a 5-car Class 800 train set and these are not able to call at Pilning. So, from Saturday 21st December 2019 onwards, the weekly services at Pilning station will be as follows:
0833 (the 0800 Cardiff Central-Penzance)
1433 (the 1400 Cardiff Central-Taunton)
Thanks again for your email and for the chance to explain."

So we wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport asking him to instruct GWR to reverse the December timetable change for Pilning, etc. - https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GxR3oPi7urP_KlxbtTQ1r4yXkTVbuU0w

Not trying to be negative, but your point 4 is more likely to be "None" in all cases. The official line from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is:
"Pilning is on the mainline, stopping trains here impact on journey times for long distance services at a time when customers and stakeholders in Wales and Bristol are asking for faster connections to support the regional and local economy. We have to be mindful of this and we will not be increasing calls at Pilning beyond the Service Level Commitment set down by the Department for Transport".

The Pilning stats will look glamorous. Thank you for your concerns.

Just to point out that Pilning has own hymns to play -
piln.in/song and piln.in/song2

... yet Pilning Station remains hopeful that Angel Road footbridge might get salvaged and relocated to Pilning. Apparently, a few responses to the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) consultation suggested exactly that.