Council planning failures that risk railways

When councils fail to uphold their own local plan policy and risk long-term strategic infrastructure development consideration.

Over the last few months I have had a number of communications and information sent to me about former railway lines around the Eden area and the risk posed to proposed plans to reopen form lines that were closed under the Beeching cuts.

The risks have been posed by developments and other projects such as highway maintenance projects that have been proposed by highways England who have now taken over responsibility for former British Rail board assets such as bridges over dis used rail line railway lines.

One such form a line that has proposals to look at reopening is the Eden valley line. on the section of the closed line between Appleby and Kirby Stephen at great Musgrave is one such bridge that carries the B6259 over the route.

Highways England have contacted an engineering company to infill this bridge one of many around the UK the same infilling to save having to maintain the bridge is happening to.

On the 23rd of April 2020 the contractors Jacobs who are carrying out the work on behalf of highways England route to Eden District Council was the local planning authority to make the plans for the infilling of the bridge known to the council and asked for the council for comments and views.

On the 24th of April 2020 a member of the Eden council planning team responded by email to the request full comments and views by the contractor.

The email thanked the contractor for consulting legal counsel regarding the proposed works.

The email then went on to say that they had checked with a colleague who was of the opinion that the works what constitute permitted works and that they saw no need to put forward a planning application to the council in order to carry out the works.

Fast forward to April 2021 and the infilling work is now underway with no public consultation or wider stakeholder engagement on the issue on the implications it would have for the future reopening of the Eden valley railway and creating a link between Appleby and Kirby Stephen.

Eden Councils own local plan states:

The Eden Local Plan 2014-2032 states: 4.4 Policy DEV3 - Transport, Accessibility and Rights of Way Development will not be supported where it meets any of the following criteria, individually or cumulatively in combination with other development proposals:

• It would prevent the future opening of any road or rail schemes under consideration.

National planning policy framework also states:

9. Promoting sustainable transport 102. Transport issues should be considered from the earliest stages of plan-making and development proposals, so that:

a) the potential impacts of development on transport networks can be addressed;

b) opportunities from existing or proposed transport infrastructure, and changing transport technology and usage, are realised – for example in relation to the scale, location or density of development that can be accommodated; and 104. Planning policies should:

c) identify and protect, where there is robust evidence, sites and routes which could be critical in developing infrastructure to widen transport choice and realise opportunities for large scale development;

The response given by Eden council planning department to the consultation letter by the contractors for Highways England has not only failed to uphold the council's own local plan policy, but it also failed to identify issues that the national planning policy framework also has in regards to such development and work.

Eden council in 2019 declared a climate emergency key part of any council policy should be to see the development of sustainable public transport services including those of the reopening of former railway lines and stations to help enhance and connect rural communities.

An urgent an urgent review and halt two works at the great most grave bridge must take place an Eden council must consider a planning application for any works at this site by the contractors on behalf of highways England.

This is just further evidence of the lack of any strategic plan for the Eden area from the council and a failure by the councils planning department to uphold its own planning policy and simply rubberstamp works without even considering a planning application and the wider impacts of the works on public infrastructure plans.

I will be taking this further as a failure of Eden District Council to uphold its own local plan policy and the failure to consider the implications of rail transport infrastructure and proposals to reopen lines.