County Council Fails to Make Reopening of Grove/Wantage Railway Station a Priority Whilst Dumping 1400 Houses on Grove
March 21, 2006 12:00 AM
At its meeting on 21 March the Tory County Council Cabinet made the reopening of Grove Wantage station a low priority.
In asking to have the re-opening of this station prioritized, Jim Moley, one of the two County councillors for Grove/Wantage, pointed out that recent statements by Ed Vaizey MP seemed to support the Liberal Democrat line in opposing the Tory County Council's policy to dump 1400 houses, unplanned as to infrastructure, on Grove/Wantage post 2016.
Whilst questioning whether the County Tories were split on this, Jim said to the cabinet:
"I urge you to prioritise this railway station and to campaign for a sensible Government policy which would facilitate the reopening of this vital infrastructure. Both you and the Government are seeking to impose these 1400 houses on Grove/Wantage without planning any infrastructure."
Zoe Patrick, the other County Councillor for Grove/Wantage, also spoke at the Cabinet meeting. She said:
"For as long as I have lived in Grove, the questioning of the reopening of the railway station has always remained a possibility. This Cabinet recently decided, against public opinion, to put a further 1400 houses in the area, despite it being brought to their attention by officers and others that public transport was poor, the likelihood of the station reopening was probably remote, and other locations being flagged up as more sustainable.
"To place an increasing burden on our country roads for the foreseeable future is greatly irresponsible, which is what will happen now in the absence of any planning for a local train service. This sends a clear signal to the residents of Grove and Wantage - you have literally 'sold us down the road'."
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