Council calls on South West to put pressure on Government
The leader of a Devon council is calling on people across the South West to write to their MPs and ask for Westminster to prioritise investment in the Westcountry’s rail network.
Plymouth City Council’s Labour leader, Tudor Evans, has asked that people across the South West play their part by helping to keep the pressure on government while a motion is put to the authority’s full council calling for action on further rail investment.
Seconded by his Conservative counterpart, Shadow Leader Ian Bowyer, the motion asks all councillors to call on David Cameron to ‘get on with’ a study into the alternative rail routes.
"We want people to write to their MPs and if you have friends in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset get them to write to their MPs as well” writes Cllr Evans.
"It's taken a collapse of our network – and not just the track at Dawlish – for Whitehall to acknowledge we have a real issue down here.
“We appreciate that there are ongoing emergency and flood issues to address, but we cannot afford the issue of our rail resilience to be kicked into the long grass."
The motion notes and calls for more commitment from the Government to act on the outcome of the rail study they have already promised and to deliver an additional route.
The additional route known as the Dawlish Avoiding Line or GW2 would serve Plymouth, Torbay and Cornwall, west of Exeter.
Earlier this month Network rail revealed their favoured alternative route which, if built, would serve a limited part of the county.
"All government agencies should be working cooperatively together to deliver the objectives of faster trains to the south west and a more resilient rail network overall: as opposed to agency-specific solutions that seek to protect some population centres whilst potentially prejudicing long-term rail resilience into the south west" writes Cllr Ian Bowyer.
Councillor Bowyer added: "Plymouth councillors have united for a long time to fight for better rail connectivity. With our partners in business and other local authorities, we had made some ground – lobbying for WIFI on trains as well as campaigning for early morning trains to Plymouth.
“We need to keep pressing our case."
Towns and Cities south of Exeter, including Plymouth, are currently cut off by rail after an 80m of Seawall and a large section of track was destroyed at Dawlish following the recent severe weather.
Since the track was destroyed engineers from Network Rail have been working under difficult conditions to rebuild the track by mid-March.
However work was delayed this weekend when the makeshift sea wall-made from shipping containers weighed down with concrete- was breached by waves in Friday night’s storm.
Network Rail has said that a new timetable for repairs will be confirmed by the end of the week but initial estimates expect the latest damage will add two extra weeks to the work.
Despite the damage to the line businesses across the South West are campaigning to make people aware that tourism and businesses continue to run throughout the region.
Carolyn Custerson, Chair of Visit Devon said: “Tourists visiting to the South West at half term will still find access easy. 92% of visitors to Devon travel by road and the main roads into the county, including the M5; A361; A30; A380; A38 and A386, are clear from disruptions.”
“However a social media campaign is not a long-term solution to ensuring that the tourism industry, which is the economic bedrock of Devon with further potential to grow, is sustainable and resilient.
“In the long term we need local and national government to support the quick repair of our rail and road infrastructure and to work with us to formulate a future strategy for resilience for business and in particular the tourism industry.
“Devon’s tourist attractions, and its 5000 plus accommodation providers, are all heavily reliant on the visitor economy. 14% of the Devon population are dependent on tourism for employment, more than twice the national average, with tourism providing around 73,000 jobs and worth a total value of £2.4 billion to the Devon economy.
“We remain one of the most beautiful holiday destinations in the UK and want to redress the misconception that the county is currently inaccessible. We are overcoming the challenges we have faced and look forward to welcoming visitors to Devon this half-term. Devon is most definitely open for business."
While the weather finally looks set to improve in the coming week the damage left from the storm is evident around the county with a full clear-up expected to take several weeks.
Staff from East Devon District Council (EDDC) have reported that as the immediate issues with flooded roads clear, a number of fallen trees have been blocking roads and endangering homes in the district.
EDDC has asked that the public remain patient as they attempt to respond with limited resources but have said staff “are working flat out to cope” with the call-outs.
The council reports that some extra manpower has been arranged to ensure that calls can be responded to as quickly as possible.
Councillor Iain Chubb, EDDC’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Falling trees are a problem in every part of the UK where there has been a combination of heavy rain and strong winds. The soil becomes saturated and loose and is then not able to support the roots when the tree comes under pressure from gales.
“I’d like to commend our Building Control and Countryside teams for their hard work in responding to a much higher than average incidence of fallen trees.
“The public are quite right to report these incidents to us and we will get to each one as soon as we can. We are trying to prioritise this work so that we attend the most difficult or dangerous scenes first. We’d appreciate it if people could be patient with our teams as they work their way through the list of calls.
“It’s also worth advising walkers and motorists to keep an eye on the trees ahead of them in case of a fall. If you are driving at night, please be especially vigilant and keep your speed down in case you round a corner and find a fallen tree blocking your path”.
