Rother Valley seeks go-ahead for work on part of missing link
AS IT awaits the Government's decision on whether it can reinstate the line between Robertsbridge and the neighbouring Kent & East Sussex Railway, the Rother Valley Railway has applied for permission to carry out work on part of the missing link.
The RVR runs for half a mile from Robertsbridge to Northbridge Street, and 2½ miles away to the east lies the limit of the KESR beside the B2244 Junction Road at Udiam. The RVR also owns nearly one-third of a mile of former trackbed beyond Junction Road to Austen's Bridge, and it is on this stretch that it would like to carry out work, as it would become part of the connection between the two railways should the plans get the go-ahead.
Rother District Council has granted planning approval for the link, but the RVR has also applied for a Transport & Works Act Order to give it statutory powers to construct three level crossings, allow the compulsory purchase of land whose owners are objecting to the scheme, and to run trains on the new link.
As previously reported, this application was the subject of a public inquiry that ended on September 3, and the inspector's report is currently with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, whose decision is expected in the middle of next year. Granting of the order would enable the construction of the link to begin.
However, the Junction RoadAusten's Bridge section does not require the order to be granted before work can take place, so the RVR is seeking permission from the district council to allow work, including site clearance and track-laying, to be carried out.
In the request to the council, the railway's planning consultants, NTR, said: “The Transport & Works Act Order is required to authorise the compulsory purchase and use of land and the creation of level crossings.
“Without the benefit of the order, the applicant cannot enter third party land to carry out the work required to satisfy all the pre-commencement planning conditions.”
The railway is thus seeking permission to amend the conditions of the original planning approval to enable the work to be carried out in two phases, which would allow work to take place on part of the stretch beyond Junction Road. This would not include the construction of a level crossing across the road, meaning it could begin before the final decision on the order application is announced.
In the hope that approval is given to bridge the gap between the two railways, the RVR has carried out an extensive privately-funded £4.5 million development at its Robertsbridge base. This includes the construction of a link to the national network at the adjacent Robertsbridge station, a new station with a five-coach platform, a two-road engine depot, carriage shed, water tower and crane.