Notes from ERTA Northampton Area Meeting
30-04-21 15.00 hrs Hosted by Ms Sara Homer
Present: Ms Sara Homer, Owen O’Neill, Cllr Phil Larratt, Colin Crawford, John Harrison and Richard Pill (Chair).
1. Apologies for absence: None had been received.
2. Brackmills Branch Re-Railing: A statement from Sara was issued as follows:
“Brackmills industrial Estate Branch Re railing Project.
All is quiet at the moment with town Elections and Unitary happening.
I have recently had a meeting with Delapre Abbey, Jonathan Nunn, leader of the Council, the university and a gentleman that works on setting up BIDS across the country. The difference being with this is we are looking to set up a Green Improvement District which incorporates the whole of Brackmills, Delapre Abbey, the university, A new leisure facility which is under wraps at the moment. If this status happens for the area, it will incorporate the Railway line and it may well give us some avenues of funding that we can tap into.
I have sent out the electronic version of our Brochure to all of the businesses on the estate and I have been giving it out to interested parties on and around the surrounding villages around the estate.”
This was welcome news and we wish it success. It was discussed the coming together of interested people and organisation. Special Status and Green Improvement District may leverage special funding which otherwise may not have been available. Key issue is the growth of traffic on the main road feeds to/from the area A45-A43, M1 and A428 which serves Brackmills. A bid for the Railway Study Fund for Bedford-Northampton had been received by the DfT and Bedford Borough may be interested. Some new route between Castle Ashby Estate and Stevington area needs construction anew as old route via Olney is obliterated now. Likewise, the route could be added to the Oxbridge East-West Rail route and be useful for passenger and freight connectivity. Brackmills is a local scheme, serving local need, Bedford-Northampton is an inter-regional scale and amalgamating the two may be a challenge in the future. However, examples of where local services and regional services coexist can be looked at and applied surely. Keeping the corridor clear of obstruction, overcoming the issue of London Road access and elsewhere also needs to be looked at and what special dispensations may be available.
We postponed item 3 until later so someone could join us.
4. Northampton-Leicester via Market Harborough. Some support. Network Rail had done a study a couple of years ago. However, project seems to have stalled and issues like North Westbury Road link lands on the old route near Boughton Level Crossing. The preserved group interest also has a claim as well as utility leisure use like walking and cycling. Maybe a wider definition of the trackbed could accommodate more. New development along the route, without the railway, will exacerbate traffic on A508 and M1 respectively commuting into Northampton and northwards. Freight could also use the line as well as passenger links with Leicester and south of Leicester/East Midlands to Northampton, Milton Keynes and the Oxford links. A new ½ mile section south of Market Harborough would need constructing to link to the Midland Main Line as old route is blocked at the Market Harborough end. However, support from councils and rail industry as well as carrying public with us is required. It offers significant connectivity* (see notes below)
3. Northampton-Leicester via Rugby: Owen O’Neill has pioneered this project and has both received good media coverage and courted MP support. However more Local Council support is wanted and being courted. Owen has met various councils. John Harrison raised the issue of better connectivity and freight as well as Blaby Council potential interest. He flagged up a Nuneaton – Midland Main Line via the Wigston/Leicester direct south curve being utilised. Other discussion was a direct line under the West Coast Main Line for freight and passenger use to avoid Nuneaton and enable faster Coventry-Leicester and vice versa end to end competitiveness with roads for example. * (see notes below)
Richard raised the idea of a direct curve from south of Kenilworth to run direct to Stratford upon Avon from the Coventry direction and vice versa celebrating the regional Shakespeare links and heritage.
5. Northampton-Wellingborough: It was felt challenges were formidable but would link in with MML and Welland schemes. However, priorities it was felt should be Brackmills, Bedford-Northampton and Northampton-Market Harborough. If extra all well and good, but these priorities need our support and interest to keep options alive more.
6. Welland Valley Railway: The project has courted successfully local council interest and support. It would link Kettering with Peterborough via Corby. Peterborough-Leicester and the Melton Mowbray-Nottingham scheme all tie in extra passenger operations and demand feed to each other potentially.
7. Remodelling Northampton Station for trains off the Brackmills Branch. It was felt restoring the bays on what is currently a car park just south of the road bridge south of the station would be one solution and reconnecting the junction with twin tracks to link with the Northampton Loop Lines for further afield business should be looked at and taken into design consideration. Bridges may need renewal and possibly some remodelling.
8. AOB et al: Brackmills Report (above in quotes) downloaded to add to notes. Thanks.
9. Day, Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting is June 25th 15.00 hrs
Contact host: Ms Sara Homer: sara.homer@brackmillsindustrialestate.co.uk
All welcome/open to all. Please encourage interested and supportive to attend. Richard Thanked all present and meeting finished 16.06
cc. Simon Barber/David Ferguson.
Notes:
1. A north-west curve could run into DIRFT to/from the Leicester direction
2. Leicester A46 road upgrade and bypass scheme has stalled, but other schemes and development are in the pipeline. We must keep an eye on such threats where they may impinge on rail reopenings like St James’-London Road Northampton road link which assumed old railway land/Brackmills Branch and scuppering access off GC/new build railway to link with Leicester-Nuneaton lines in the west of Narborough area for example.
No comments:
Post a Comment