Further delay to Portishead rail line
LONG-AWAITED plans to get trains running out of Portishead for the first time in decades look likely to be delayed again.
North Somerset Council submitted its application for a Development Consent Order(DCO) for the £116 million Metrowest Phase One scheme to the Planning Inspectorate in July.
The Secretary of State had until October 19 to make a decision on whether to grant the order.
But it was announced yesterday that the deadline has been extended for another six months – until April 19 next year.
A statement was made to the Houses of Parliament by
Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps, announcing the new deadline.
Government chiefs said the extension was needed to allow ‘further consideration of environmental matters’.
A statement said: “The Secretary of State received the examining authority’s report on the Portishead Branch Line – MetroWest Phase 1 development consent order application on 19 July 2021 and the current deadline for a decision was 19 October 2021.
“The deadline for the decision is to be extended to 19 April 2022, an extension of six months, to allow further consideration of environmental matters.
“The decision to set new deadlines is without prejudice to the decisions on whether to grant development consent for the above application.”
The DCO seeks consent to start work on reopening the defunct section of the line from Portishead.
The order also seeks to gain environmental consent to undertake work to the existing freight railway through Avon Gorge and obtain powers for the compulsory acquisition of land.
Relaunching train services from Portishead with new stations at Portishead and Pill is a key part of the MetroWest programme of transport improvements across the region being led by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) and North Somerset Council.
There has been a great deal of uncertainty about the scheme over the years – mainly due to the spiralling cost of the project.
The line was closed in 1964 during the Beeching cuts and since then Portishead has become one of the biggest towns in Britain without a railway station.