Eco-town ‘could lead to reopening of railway line’ (From Cotswold Journal)

Eco-town ‘could lead to reopening of railway line’

10:47am Thursday 12th June 2008

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A DECOMMISSIONED railway line may reopen if developers succeed in their bid to construct an eco-town that campaigners fear will inflict traffic chaos on the Cotswolds.

The former Stratford-to-Honeybourne line, closed in the 1970s, runs through the former Long Marston Ministry of Defence site where the Government proposes to locate the town that would be built by the St Modwen and Bird Group companies. The aim is to forge a rail link between Long Marston and its surrounding villages with the mainline rail network.

Community consultation group Green Issues Communications quizzed representatives of rail groups about the proposal when the delegates attended a rail show at the site of the proposed new village.

The Bird Group's Tony Bird said: "We are currently looking at all options to develop a clear transport strategy that can really improve the existing situation.

"We are examining ways to re-integrate this rail link, with the objective of linking Stratford itself with this line."

The Better Accessible Responsible Development (BARD) group is leading opposition to the proposed town, which objectors claim would see more than 15,000 extra vehicles daily added to existing traffic on the B4632, the winding lane from Long Marston to Mickleton.

Chipping Campden Town Council invited the developers to give it a presentation about the proposal on Tuesday evening but this was cancelled because the companies needed to conduct more consultation first.

It is now proposed the developers hold an exhibition and attend a public meeting, with BARD representatives, at Chipping Campden Town Hall on Monday, June 23, but this has yet to be confirmed.

People must submit their representations to the Government about the proposal by Monday, June 30.

BARD'S Clive Moy said: "We would have preferred to have had these public meetings a couple of months ago, which would have given people sufficient time to get their representations in."

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