Statement currently being circulated by the LSR - do support us if you can (and many thanks to those who have already done so):
For many years the LSR has set its sights on the final extension of the railway to the small village of Egloskerry, two miles further on from the present terminus at Newmills. To this end, more than a decade ago we purchased the final section of trackbed required at the Egloskerry end.
Some three years ago, the railway was approached by Cornwall Council with a proposal to enable the railway’s extension to Egloskerry in conjunction with the creation of an off-road multi-use trail between Launceston and Egloskerry. Cornwall Council succeeded in their bid for funding from the South West Regional Development Agency for this project, together with projects at Bude and Caradon Hill. The railway agreed to fund the cost of track laying and materials, whilst the project would fund the other elements.
Last year however, Cornwall Council decided it could no longer fund the railway’s extension, but would nonetheless ensure that the trail was constructed in such a way as to ensure that the route of a future railway extension was not compromised in any way.
Following a review earlier this year by the funders (now taken over by DEFRA) concerned over lack of progress overall, the Bude project and the Launceston to Polson Bridge section were cancelled. Under considerable pressure and the threat of withdrawal of funding, Cornwall Council decided to push ahead with a much reduced scheme in an attempt to meet the closely monitored deadline for completion and have applied for planning permission for a multi-use trail which involves almost half of the trail being on-road, and the section between Newmills and our trackbed at Egloskerry (where the trail once again takes to the road) being constructed down the centre of the trackbed! If approved, this would forever prevent any possibility of the railway extending its business to Egloskerry our ultimate destination and would also cut us off from the trackbed we already own at Egloskerry.
Already a number of local people have registered objections - not least because we are the town’s major tourist attraction - but any person can comment on planning applications, and we are hoping that as many as possible will support us and the landowners in objecting to the current plan.
The planning application can be viewed at
http://planning.cornwall.gov.uk/onli...=M8WK1DFG0H900 (or by entering the application number PA12/07870 in the Cornwall Council online planning website) and comments can be made by selecting the comments tab. Alternatively you can sign a petition of objection to the application at
www.ipetitions.com/petition/lsr/
Further information may also be found on the ‘News’ and ‘TRAC Project’ pages of the LSR website (
www.launcestonsr.co.uk).
We would be most grateful for whatever help you are able to give. All we are asking for is for Cornwall Council to change their plans so that rail and trail can share the route.
Many thanks for taking the time to read this.