I WAS surprised to read (Warrington Guardian, July 16) that a planning application had been submitted for a train station at Chapelford.

I was unaware that the funding of the scheme had been resolved.

The cost (£7 million in February 2013) was the subject of a grant application from the Government’s new stations fund.

It was hoped that ‘up to half ’ the cost would be funded in this way, with £1 million being met from the borough council’s transport budget and David Wilson Homes and the balance from the private sector.

However the scheme did not win funding from the NSF. Perhaps because the department felt the case for a new station on the same line and half a mile from an existing one had not been made.

The consultation paper issued by the borough council in June 2013 stated that they ‘expected to obtain the remaining funding over the next 12 months’.

It is now more than two years later and, unless I’ve missed it, we are still waiting for an announcement.

I’m sure taxpayers will be interested to learn exactly how much is being financed by the borough council.

CHRIS HAGGETT
Penketh

 

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