Ashburton Station

The group has now gone beyond just being a facebook group and formed a website http://friendsofashburtonstation.co.uk

Also theyve had a lot of media coverage with the BBC on tv and radio.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=880625338669632

 

some of that film seems to be the same occasion that I have stills and posted on fb of recently. BR through special

 

For those of you who like to be up to date

We've heard today that the steering group for the Chuley Road Masterplan will meet next week. The Dartmoor Naional Park (DNP) planners will present them with their appraisal of our case, and a decision should be reached on the five 'options' relating to a railway presence on the site.

In their latest newsletter, DNP identified these options as:

1) The conservation of railway heritage buildings within the site, with public access to those buildings where possible;

2) The conservation of Ashburton Station building, and use as a railway heritage centre;

3) The safeguarding of a route for the future provision of a new railway line between Buckfastleigh and Ashburton (in combination with option 2);

4) The provision of a new railway line between Buckfastleigh and Ashburton, with a station which lies short of Chuley Road (in combination with options 2 and 3);

5) The provision of a new railway line between Buckfastleigh and Ashburton Station (in combination with options 2 and 3).

In our meeting with DNP Members at Parke on April 17, we reiterated our position on these options, as informed by the work undertaken to prepare our written submission. Crucially, we explained our view that the viability and sustainability of Option 2 is dependent upon Option 3; that is, we believe that safeguarding the route for potential reconnection of the (original) station is crucial to the viability of a heritage centre on the site, both in financial terms and the motivation of individuals and third-party organisations. Option 3 is therefore fundamental to the group's support of any heritage use of the site.

Option 4 is, of course, at odds with our focus on the original station, and we consider this to be both undesirable and unsustainable because neither the original station nor the centre of the town would be served.

We can feel confident as a group that we have done everything within our power to make our voices heard and to influence the planning process, as far as that is possible in this case. Indeed, we have constantly tested the boundaries of our capability as a community group - unpracticed in challenging the Planning machine - to ensure that our case is judged on its long-term potential rather than short-term ease of delivery. We have won the support of so many passionate individuals, locally and internationally, and the backing of major organisations. We have achieved sustained local and national press coverage, and prompted healthy discussion throughout the community about what they really want. We have fought for an audience at the highest level in the authorities, and have won many allies, some rather unlikely.

We will find out next week whether all this has made a difference.

David
Secretary, FoAS

 

Good luck. Option 4 is certainly not desirable. 2 and 5 are the ones to go for.

 

Looks like some good level headed thinking there.

 

Looks like tomorrow is decision day.

https://friendsofashburtonstation.co.uk/category/news/

 

Thank you for flagging this up. I've sent an e-mail in support of the Friends of Ashburton Station. I hope there have been plenty of other people who have done likewise. Yes, reopening those final two miles would be an immense challenge and won't happen for a good while unless a very rich benefactor can be found, but it would be such a shame if the opportunity to return to that delightful terminus was lost for ever.

 

I'd love to see the railway return to Ashburton, but is there a plan that shows it's feasible?

As far as I can tell, you'd need to tunnel under the A38, put a new bridge across the Dart, build a new railway alongside the A38, and completely re-engineer the Peartree interchange just South of Ashburton.

I'm all for saving Ashburton Station, but Dartmoor National Park presumably need to be convinced that rail reinstatement is feasible if they are to safeguard the remaining section of rail corridor. Is it?

 

It seems re-instatement is feasible except for the bit into the station...the plan mooted originally did not include the station

 

Wasn't there a decision on July 3? What happened?

 

From the site
"Friends of Ashburton Station are, of course, extremely disappointed with DNPA’s decision to accept the Chuley Road Masterplan, thereby denying Ashburton the opportunity of the benefits of a heritage railway connection in the future.

We are exasperated by the determination of planners to dismiss our calls for changes to the Masterplan. Our group of volunteers have worked tirelessly to demonstrate to DNPA the potential social and economic benefits a railway could bring to the town. Despite a wealth of support from the local community, businesses and national bodies, they have chosen not to listen.

Instead, DNPA has accepted a report from its planners in which no railway bodies have been consulted, a report which consequently contains several major inaccuracies. In doing so, Members have endorsed the short-sighted predisposition towards other uses for the site, and have not given a fair hearing to the railway proposition.

We will be considering our options over the coming days. Meanwhile, we encourage anybody with a view on today’s decision to contact Peter Harper, DNPA Chairman, and the other members as a matter of urgency, see the following link for their contact details – http://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/aboutus/au-theauthority/au-members/members

 

Legal moves. Various objections, judicial reviews, could delay things for years. The developers, as ever, are only interested in profit, all the rest of the pitch is bull****. If the delays become too costly, they will lose interest and move elsewhere. That is the way to victory.

 

The DNPA has just had its budget heavily capped. They may be quite vulnerable to a legal challenge if they have made a planning decision without proper consultation.

John

 

Quite agree, you'd need look no further then the Launceston Steam Railway and the debacle that was the Cornwall Council's TRAC Project, which was supposed to extend both the railway and a footpath to Egloskerry. What could have been a win-win situation for all concerned, was abruptly trampled on when the Council sought to do the plan without the railway. As a result, the railway rightly raised issue with this snub, raised much upheaval and controversy with many concerned, and in the end the council lost the funding for the project all together. Raise enough issue and dissatisfaction with the project, in particular the fact they blatantly ignored what benefits the railway could actually have for the town's economy, and thereby it's people, then logic should dictate that DNPA's plans will swiftly start to crumble. Once that happens, the railway's plans will be taken as seriously as they deserve to be.

 

Everybody has a boss, isn't DNPA's boss the Dept of Environment (DEFRA). They should at least look into the procedure as to how they made this decision and if the proper consultation was carried out.

 

Bugger that, it will be discussed on DEFRA Twitter page-Already asked them to look into the consultation process.

 

I guess there are no cost for how much it would cost to reconnect ashburton I am guessing we are talking a seven figure sum and how this money can be raised as if this is not likely you can see why the though of more much needed housing would of been agreed and why has it taken so long to decide to even look at connecting them again. There are two sides to an argument.

 

This is where there is so much misinformation. housing isn't a problem with the railway plan. My town invested in a supermarket which just about killed the whole highstreet.
Ashburton has a choice either stay a backwater or become a tourist hotspot. The DNPA have chosen the former.I live within 40 miles of Ashburton and have visited twice in 35 years, definitely a supermarket will not change the frequency of visits, a railway terminus will.
Over a 10 year plan I believe raising the funds is achievable, you only have to look at other heritage railway projects to see that.

 

maybe they like being a Backwater. I remember my Uncle remarking that we (the MHRPS) had ruined Alresford .....