Bere Alston to Tavistock Rail Line Update
Letter to the Tavistock Times Gazette 7th March 2013
We are pleased to respond to last week´s letter from Mr Saville requesting more information on the Bovis Homes housing proposals and the Bere Alston to Tavistock rail reinstatement.
The proposed development was originally promoted by Kilbride through the Core Strategy on the basis that the development would fund the rail project and this was supported by a public examination of viability and costs. Bovis Homes was then selected as the house builder and they are now taking forward their proposals for the residential scheme. Devon County Council (DCC) have taken a lead on the rail project in the last year and are now carrying out the detailed assessments and designs needed to establish the full cost of taking the rail project forward. This will form the basis of Section 106 negotiations with Bovis Homes.
Work is being carried out at the moment to identify how the physical works, legal processes and planning approvals all fit together. At present the rail costs would appear to be in line with the original estimates, while the final detail of the housing scheme is being completed with input from the local community to complete the overall picture.
Discussions with planning officers at West Devon Borough Council (WDBC) on the Section 106 agreement have not yet taken place but will be guided by the adopted core strategy. WDBC will need to approve the final details of the agreement, but Bovis expect to make a financial contribution to the delivery of the rail line as part of a package of ‘planning gain’. The rail contribution will be used by DCC as the statutory transport authority.
Further information on these matters will become available as the planning application process moves forward.
