Campaign for Tavistock reopening

[whole diary]

[Lee]

This is who Kilbride say they are - rather playing down the property development side of things, it has to be said, eg Shipton-on-Cherwell Quarry, which is just north of Kidlington and Oxford, is being proposed to take a massive housing development, but because they say it would have a railway station, it would be eco-friendly. Hmm. Maybe if they paid for Kidlington station to reopen too and banned cars from the site, maybe it would be.

http://www.kilbrideresources.co.uk/index.asp

More on the Shipton-on-Cherwell Quarry development (link below.)
http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.2046026.0.ecotown_will_harm_wildlife.php

[Lee]

This is who Kilbride say they are - rather playing down the property development side of things, it has to be said, eg Shipton-on-Cherwell Quarry, which is just north of Kidlington and Oxford, is being proposed to take a massive housing development, but because they say it would have a railway station, it would be eco-friendly. Hmm. Maybe if they paid for Kidlington station to reopen too and banned cars from the site, maybe it would be.

http://www.kilbrideresources.co.uk/index.asp

More on the Shipton-on-Cherwell Quarry development (link below.)
http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.2046026.0.ecotown_will_harm_wildlife.php

Here is a link on a similiar scheme.
http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.2064308.0.village_anger_at_ecotown_plan.php

[Lee]

The spotlight is now on the number of houses that Kilbride want to be allowed to build in return for restoring the railway to Tavistock (link below.)
http://thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=133464&command=displayContent&sourceNode=133158&contentPK=20157227&folderPk=78031&pNodeId=133174

[Andy]

The following link is to an article about the current state of affairs in the project to reinstate the Tavistock line.

http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=141529&command=displayContent&sourceNode=141513&contentPK=20175970&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

[Lee]

The following link is to an article about the current state of affairs in the project to reinstate the Tavistock line.

http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=141529&command=displayContent&sourceNode=141513&contentPK=20175970&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

The county council's executive is today due to consider supporting the plan but the town council has condemned it.

Interesting quotes :

Westcountry transport analyst Neill Mitchell has campaigned to have the route reopened for four decades. He said: "It was a terrible mistake to close this line; it's complete madness to be just a few miles short of Tavistock. Anything likely to deliver that is to be welcomed, particularly at a time when Tavistock is being required to increase its housing stock."

But he was concerned a train operator had not yet agreed to run the line.

See also link below.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=2076.msg15541#msg15541

David Redgewell, South West spokesman for the Campaign for Better Transport, said he too supported the idea of reopening the line, but would remain sceptical until operating details had been confirmed.

[Andy]

The link below is to a report of the County Council's positive response to the plan to reinstate the line yesterday.

http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=141529&command=displayContent&sourceNode=141513&contentPK=20185393&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

[Lee]

The link below is to a report of the County Council's positive response to the plan to reinstate the line yesterday.

http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=141529&command=displayContent&sourceNode=141513&contentPK=20185393&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

Good news, but trouble ahead I fear :

However, many people in Tavistock are unconvinced and the town council has condemned the plan. Coun Michael Harper said: "It's the biggest folly I've ever heard of. I don't think it's commercially viable. Everyone I've spoken to is against this.

"We are going to fight it every inch of the way."

[Andy]

Could we translate the phrases used by Cller Harper as:
 
"It's the biggest folly I've ever heard of." = not in my back yard

"I don't think it's commercially viable." = it's my gut instinct - I don't care about qutoing figures. 

"Everyone I've spoken to is against this." = my circle of friends comes from a rather narrow socio-economic spectrum.

[John R]

Yep, think you just about summed it up there Andy.

[Lee]

Interesting quote from the article :

Roy Connelly, West Devon Councillor for Tavistock, told the meeting he welcomed the proposals, but would want further evidence that Kilbride's proposals would work in the "local context" and that local opinion would be taken into consideration during negotiations.

Now I want to see this scheme go ahead, but in order for it to do so, someone really needs to go down to Tavistock and drum up some very visible local support for the re-opening of the railway.

If the views of Cller Harper and his friends are taken as being "local opinion" then that could sink the whole thing.

Quotes such as "We are going to fight it every inch of the way" do not indicate that they are going to concede defeat easily.

[Andy]

The following link is to the minutes of Tavistock Town Council's Finance & gen Purposes Committee meeting on 26 March 2008. Paragraph 648 deals with the Kilbride/Railway proposal and makes interesting reading.

http://www.tavistock.gov.uk/page/finance_mins_26th_march_08

[Lee]

The following link is to the minutes of Tavistock Town Council's Finance & gen Purposes Committee meeting on 26 March 2008. Paragraph 648 deals with the Kilbridde/Railway proposal and makes interesting reading.

http://www.tavistock.gov.uk/page/finance_mins_26th_march_08

Here is Paragraph 648 :

648.   RAILWAY
The Mayor had noticed that an article in the Western Morning News about the railway concept quoted a councillor as saying ^We are going to fight it every inch of the way^ yet the Town Council had a policy of supporting the railway (Best Value Community Objective 5, copied below:

^The Town Council will encourage all proposals to improve public transport into and out of the Town, including the ^Drake^ railway line extension from Bere Alston and improvements to the traffic flow on the A386, both north and south.  It will continue support for the Community Bus Service, and will press for improved public transport facilities in order to reduce the need for car traffic in the Town).

Members debated the railway concept so all were clear on what the Town Council position was.  Cllr Harper gave a full and comprehensive report on the ^Kilbride^ proposal and its drawbacks.  He reminded Members that they had resolved not to support either of the two options in the LDF, and that the council view was not against the railway concept in principle, but against the particular proposal to fund it by building 750 houses with all the problems that would bring.  Members also felt the proposed railway would not serve the need of modern commuters, who did not need to go to the dockyard but to the Derriford area where modern employment was situated.  Members noted that the demise of the Best Value concept meant that the relevant objective would not be published post April 2008, and needed no revision per se.  They agreed the council policy was that they would support proposals to improve public transport into and out of the Town, including in principle the railway line, but not the ^Kilbride^ proposal.

[Tinminer]

That's a good point about Derriford area of Plymouth, as that is where a large chunk of Plymouth's & Tavistock's commuters work. Perhaps a tram-system is needed - maybe from the Tamerton Foliot area (re-open that as a station on the Tamar Valley line to act as an interchange)?

Just a thought.

Why did the councillors not mention tourism and day-trippers that would use the line?
Tavistock is a very pleasant market town, with much historical value. It is used as a day out (to the pannier market and other attractions) from visitors from all over Devon & Cornwall and beyond, as well as hikers exploring Dartmoor. The railway could have a great deal of use here in bringing visitors to and fro, as well as commuters to/from Plymouth.

Some of the town councillors sound very insular, and not very forward looking to me.

[Graz]

Not to mention the national cycle network route 27 from Plymouth / SE Devon to Barnstaple, cornwall and NE Devon also runs through the town, so there would be an interest for that group too...

[Andy]

Why did the councillors not mention tourism and day-trippers that would use the line?
Tavistock is a very pleasant market town, with much historical value. It is used as a day out (to the pannier market and other attractions) from visitors from all over Devon & Cornwall and beyond, as well as hikers exploring Dartmoor. The railway could have a great deal of use here in bringing visitors to and fro, as well as commuters to/from Plymouth.

Some of the town councillors sound very insular, and not very forward looking to me.

Agreed, Tinmminer, though it does seem to me that the major stumbling block is the high number of houses planned rather than the railway. If only the development of 750 homes could be spread across several settlements/sites instead of concentrated on Tavistock, the opposition would diminish. In fact, apportioning some of the development to settlements served by other stations along the route, such as Bere Alston, Bere Ferrers and a reopened Tamerton Foliot, may be a solution.