Revision of Technical Advice Note
18 Transport 1998
Freight on Rail is pleased to respond to this consultation. Our response concentrates on the following questions
Disused railways Q10
Definition of Freight on RailFreight on Rail is a campaign working to get goods off roads and onto rail as an important step in developing a more sustainable distribution system.
Freight on Rail is a partnership between transport trades unions, rail freight industry and Transport 2000. It works to promote the economic, social and environmental benefits of rail freight both nationally and locally. It advocates policy changes that support the shift to rail and provides information and help on freight related issues. In particular, it aims to help local authorities through all stages of the process such as planning a rail freight strategy, accessing grants and dealing with technical matters.
Freight on Rail is a partnership between transport trades unions, rail freight industry and Transport 2000. It works to promote the economic, social and environmental benefits of rail freight both nationally and locally. It advocates policy changes that support the shift to rail and provides information and help on freight related issues. In particular, it aims to help local authorities through all stages of the process such as planning a rail freight strategy, accessing grants and dealing with technical matters.
The members are as follows: - Rail Freight Group, EWS, Freightliner, RMT, ASLEF, TSSA, AMICUS, Network Rail and Transport 2000
- Reference paragraphs 87 and 88 Railways
We support the policies outlined in paragraphs 87 and 88 which state that suitable sites for rail freight interchanges, sidings and rail alignments should be identified and safeguarded in local plans.
Consultation questions Q10
The guidance on railways in paragraphs 87 and 88, together with the above paragraphs on safeguarding and lights, set out that local planning authorities should safeguard disused railway land for future transport uses where this may be a realistic possibility. Is the advice on safeguarding disused railway land clear and if not how could it be improved?
The guidance on railways in paragraphs 87 and 88, together with the above paragraphs on safeguarding and lights, set out that local planning authorities should safeguard disused railway land for future transport uses where this may be a realistic possibility. Is the advice on safeguarding disused railway land clear and if not how could it be improved?
- Reference paragraphs 96 and 97 Safeguarding land and planning blight Freight on Rail is supportive of the safeguarding land and planning blight policy but believes that the wording should be made stronger to protect rail routes and lands.
- Rail alignments should be protected for possible potential use in the long- term even where there is no immediate likelihood of re-opening lines. Changes in transport, industry and issues, such as climate change, show that rail alignments need to be protected for society. Once the line is gone it is lost as part of the railways for ever. The reopening of the Vale of Glamorgan is an example. Avoiding lines are being brought back into use e.g. Carlisle where the lines were threatened in 2001 and saved because they were identified as such in the Local Plan.
- The rail freight industry should be consulted to establish whether rail sites beside the railway, should be preserved. Sites deemed suitable for terminals and sidings should be preserved, even where there is no potential rail use at present because, as proved in the past, situations change, industry moves, the nature of freight flows alter, as markets and redevelopment etc change. Therefore suitable sites should be preserved even where there is no current potential rail use. In a given area/region there are normally only a few sites which would be suitable for rail freight interchanges, especially in the case of the large intermodal rail freight interchanges.
- REF paragraph 97 Before any sites which have previously been safeguarded for rail transport purposes, are abandoned, the rail freight industry and Network Rail should be consulted.
- For your information PPG13 (England) states
that transport lands can be protected even where there is no identified
transport usage as long as it is identified in the Local Plan as railway lands. PPG13 clearly indicated that even where there was not a reasonable chance of future use of an old transport link, unnecessary severance was still to be avoided.
A test case is the judgment in the case of Mansard County Homes Ltd v Surrey Heath Council which showed councils countrywide that they can protect disused railway land for future potential railway use, even where there is no immediate evidence of future possible use. The full judgment is on the freightonrail web site under reports - a landmark judgment to protect railway lands.
- Mitigation of environmental impacts paragraphs 98 and 99
On the issue of local opposition to rail freight facilities the wider local economic benefits are mentioned but additionally there are often regional and national benefits from such schemes as well.
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