Latest news with #KidsgroveTownDealBoard
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Kidsgrove Railway Station set to be refurbished, not replaced
A Staffordshire railway station is set to be refurbished rather than rebuilt due to a lack of funds, according to council for a £3.69m overhaul of Kidsgrove's station are set to be scaled back because there is no money to pay for anticipated ground remediation on the site in relation to historical mining say it could cost a further £2m and that additional funding would not be possible to cover council said government had told them spending £680,000 on ground investigation work would not be a good use of public funds. Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council leader Simon Tagg, who is also vice-chair of Kidsgrove Town Deal Board, said plans to refurbish the existing station building were now being drawn up."We thought we were going to have a bigger rebuild of Kidsgrove Station," he said."The board was going to take the plunge and do the survey, and find out what the groundwork issues were, but we've been told that now there is no money to do any of the remedial work, so it wouldn't be a good use of Town Deal money to spend it on a survey."He said he disagreed with that view, and that work would now begin on drawing up plans to refurbish the station instead. The original plans included "an improved modern station building", as well as a transport interchange, a 200-space car park and better access to the canal.A report from East Midlands Railway set out the possible costs of 12 different scenarios, covering survey, remediation and construction work, with all but one exceeding the level of Town Deal funding affordable option would have delivered a new station building but left the old one derelict, which the council said "isn't in line with the aspirations of the town deal board". This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Offer to 'share expertise' over station upgrade
Railway bosses say they are willing to share their expertise on historical coal mining beneath a station in Staffordshire to enable improvement works to move forward. It comes after a row between the local MP and leader of the borough council over the planned work at Kidsgrove Railway Station. Bosses at Network Rail said the previous scheme was hampered due to poor underground conditions caused by uncharted mine workings. The current project is now at an impasse while funding for exploratory works is being argued over by the politicians. Council leader Simon Tagg recently called on MP David Williams to ensure funding was still in place for the plans - which include parking for 200 cars and a new transport interchange - but said he had not received a direct response. The MP had claimed Tagg was attempting to deflect responsibility on the issue. He said Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council had failed to properly budget for the scheme, having been previously aware of historic coal mining in the vicinity of the station. "It is regrettable that they now resort to finger-pointing rather than putting forward a serious solution," Mr Williams said. Tagg also claimed bosses at Network Rail, which owns and manages most of the railway infrastructure in Great Britain, were blocking the scheme. They had demanded a fully funded restoration plan prior to giving the go-ahead for the work to begin, he said. Tagg added that he felt this was unrealistic, as Kidsgrove Town Deal Board, which is overseeing the scheme, would not be able to predict costings until the work had begun. Network Rail bosses said they had previously faced historic mining issues in the area. "During our work to build new lifts to make Kidsgrove station accessible for all, the multi-million-pound project was hampered by poor underground conditions caused by previously unknown historic mine workings," they said. "Having overcome those challenges, we are now offering our knowledge and expertise on what lies beneath the station for a separate council-led scheme to build a new car park and expansion of the station facilities on the site. "Due to risks from previous coal mine shafts, additional ground investigation is needed before improvements can safely begin, which our colleagues at Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council are leading on." Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Delays 'risk derailing station improvement work' Colourful projections light up Victorian tunnels Mining works could derail station upgrade - MP Chancellor announces £1bn for 45 areas of England Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Delays 'risk derailing station improvement work'
A council leader has called for "urgent action" to ensure plans to improve a local train station are not derailed. Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council leader Simon Tagg said funding had been secured for a scheme, which included parking for 200 cars and a new transport interchange, to better connect services at Kidsgrove Railway Station. However, he said Network Rail was blocking work to investigate the extent of subsidence in the area following decades of coal mining nearby. Network Rail has been contacted for a comment. It is understood funding for the project will lapse in March 2027. Tagg said bosses at Network Rail - which owns and manages most of the railway infrastructure in Great Britain - had demanded a fully-funded restoration plan prior to granting permission for the work. He said he felt this was unrealistic as Kidsgrove Town Deal Board, which is overseeing the scheme, would not be able to predict costings until the work had begun. The town board only had a fixed budget to work with, he added. He said funding for the Kidsgrove station upgrade was announced in October 2023 following the cancellation of the northern section of HS2. It is believed the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been monitoring the situation, and is in discussion with both Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Network Rail. The BBC understands the government department expects decisions relating to the project to be handled by the borough council and Kidsgrove Town Deal Board. Mr Tagg said he had written to local MP David Williams, urging him to ensure funding was still in place, but had not received a response. Mr Williams did not respond to the BBC's request for a comment. "This delay is frustrating because not only do we risk losing funding for a much-needed project, but town deal money has been used successfully elsewhere in Kidsgrove," Mr Tagg said. "The train station upgrade is an important part of Kidsgrove's regeneration and we need a resolution," he added. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Mining works could derail station upgrade - MP Colourful projections light up Victorian tunnels Chancellor announces £1bn for 45 areas of England Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
