MP says residents need new rail station

MP Bill Esterson has welcomed news that Merseytravel is to go ahead with plans for its new station at North Maghull.

The station is due to open in May 2018 and will mean better parking and more access for residents in North Maghull and Lydiate to the railway.

The news followed a meeting between Mr Esterson and Merseytravel chairman Cllr Liam Robinson.

At the meeting, Cllr Robinson told the MP that Merseytravel was making sure that residents would benefit from the new station and that those living directly next door were being fully consulted to mitigate any adverse impact.

The Labour MP said: “I am pleased that Merseytravel is going ahead with the new station.

“It shows what is possible and they are also doing what they can to benefit as many residents as possible. Those who are concerned about the new station are also being considered, from what Cllr Robinson told me, and I hope that they will be reassured by measures designed to help.

“You can’t please everyone all the time but it is important that Merseytravel listens and it is clear to me that they are keen to work with residents.

“The new station will mean better access for more passengers and it should allow more of my constituents in Maghull and Lydiate to use the railway.

“It is quite right that we try to make it easier for people to use the train and to give people a choice between car and public transport.

“I live in Maghull and it will help my children and their friends when they want to travel into Liverpool, just as it will help commuters and older people who rely on the train.

“The station will have staff all day and I am pleased that there will be lifts for my elderly and disabled constituents.

“The new station will also be next to a new housing development on land that used to be part of Ashworth Hospital. This is the right place for new housing in Maghull as it is on previously developed land. Now we must make sure that the houses benefit local people as much as the station.

“So far, the Government has given developers the wrong incentives, which has meant that executive housing has had the priority.

“I want to see houses that are for people living in Maghull, Lydiate, Melling and Aintree. Houses that local people can afford to buy or to rent, including council houses.

“I shall be asking Sefton Council, the Homes and Communities Agency and the developer, Persimmon Homes to make sure that the 370 new homes benefit the existing community and that the impact of extra traffic and the need for more GP places is addressed before the houses are built.”