Council set to decide on new £13m station
PLANS for a £13m railway station in Maghull are expected to be given the go-ahead from Sefton Council.
The decision on the application will made at the local planning committee meeting on January 18.
The station will be built just off School Lane, on the Ormskirk to Liverpool line between the existing Maghull and Town Green stations on the Ormskirk branch of the Northern Line.
The ambitious scheme was given the go-ahead by Liverpool city region chiefs in October last year, but transport bosses were frustrated after the proposed cost of the scheme doubled.
If approved, building work is expected to start in August.
The chair of Merseytravel, Liam Robinson, said the transport authority hoped to “add a new station every five years or so”.
At a meeting of the city region combined authority chiefs, the full business case was approved – although concerns were raised at the higher cost than had been predicted.
The station was originally estimated to cost around £7.37m but the report to the combined authority meeting said that the bill was expected to have risen to £13m.
Facilities at the new station will include:
Staffed station building and ticket office. Passenger toilet. Passenger waiting facilities on platform
Step-free access with lifts and a bridge to, from and between both platforms and the station building.
A 156-space car park with blue badge, motorcycle parking and cycle storage.
Pedestrian and cycle routes from School Lane and Park Lane to the station and bus stops in School Lane.
Future provision for electric vehicle charging points.
The planning application addresses concerns that there will be some noise and disturbance resulting from the construction of the station, most notably to residents of Mersey Avenue.
Environmental protection officers said that night time working would give rise to moderate noise impacts at houses across from the railway in Mersey Avenue and residents were likely to experience sleep disturbance from the various stated activities to be undertaken.