I think Mr Pollard should be congratulated on his excellent letter (The Voice April 2) concerning the furore surrounding the diversion of trains through Spalding recently.
Also his revelation of the fiasco concerning Network Rail’s attempts to replace the bridge over the Vernatts Drain is very interesting in as much that the amount offered is much more than the £30K he is aware of.
Rail enthusiasts in the area were made aware of this some time ago and were referred to a letter dated July 10, 2014 from Network Rail addressed to and for the personal attention of Coun Gary Porter. This letter is in the public domain and ironically can be found on the South Holland District Council website.
The letter refers to a meeting on May 16, 2014 between NR and SHDC when NR discussed with the council the feasibility of using council-owned land to the south of the drain to access the site. It did not prove possible to reach agreement on such usage.
In view of this, the letter goes on to explain that NR would have to begin the process of seeking from the Department for Transport emergency access powers under Section 14 of the Railways Regulation Act which would enable NR to access the site from the land owned by the council.
However NR still sought the cooperation of the council and made what would appear to be their final offer. The relevant paragraph reads as follows:
“Therefore, we wish to make an offer to South Holland District Council for your cooperation in the use of land to the south of Vernatts Drain without the deployment of Section 14 powers. In return for this access, we are prepared to offer the council, in addition to the normal scale of rental for the land, a grant of £30,000 either in cash or in kind towards the provision of a public amenity or benefit to the town of Spalding.”
I think I am right in saying that NR planned to replace the bridge in question over the Easter weekend, but this has not been done. So it seems Mr Porter and his chums are still obstructing NR in completing the £280m upgrade of the joint line.
I have copied this by email to Mr Hayes and would ask if he is aware of this scandalous situation? After all he is Minister of State at the Department for Transport.
Graham Broughton
Barrier Bank
Cowbit
