Planning approval granted
for new Maghull North station scheme
THE development of a new Station, in
Maghull, has moved a step closer after planning permission was granted for the
scheme at a Sefton Council planning committee meeting, on Wednesday, 18 January
2017.
The planning committee approved plans for the new Maghull North
Station, which
will be located just off School Lane, between the existing Maghull and Town
Green Stations, on the Ormskirk branch of Merseyrail's Northern Line.
The Station is a key piece of infrastructure in the Sefton Local Plan,
supporting demand from an adjacent new housing development which will include
370 homes, with more homes planned for the area in the near future. It will also
offer relief for the existing Station, in the Town.
The ?13m scheme is being funded through the Government's Local Growth Fund (LGF),
Merseytravel and the Homes and Communities Association, which currently owns the
land on which the Station will be built.
It will form part of the wider ?340m
investment by Network Rail and the Liverpool City Region in rail improvements
over the next 3 years.
Facilities at the new station will include:-
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Staffed station building and ticket office with passenger toilet.
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Passenger waiting facilities on platform.
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Step free access with lifts and a bridge to, from and between both platforms and
the station building.
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156 space car park with blue badge, motorcycle parking and cycle storage.
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Pedestrian and cycle routes from School Lane and Park Lane to the station and
bus stops on School Lane.
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Future provision for electric vehicle charging points.
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Work is due to start on site in August 2017, with the Station due to open in May 2018.
Cllr Gordon Friel, Merseytravel Deputy Chair and Lead Member for Rail said:-
"It's great news that the new station development at Maghull North has been
given planning approval as it will provide a real boost to the local community.
It is another example of our Long Term Rail Strategy being put in to practice
and will encourage more people to use public transport for both commuting to
work and leisure activities. We look forward to working with our partners in
Network Rail, Merseyrail and Sefton Council when the work to build the station
gets underway later this year."
Claire Rawson, Network Rail's Project Sponsor said:- "This station part of
a ?340 million investment in the railway of the Liverpool City Region and it
will play a vital part in accommodating the growing number of passengers using
the network now and in the future."
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, Merseyrail's managing director, said:- "We
welcome this decision by Sefton Council and look forward to serving and running
the station as part of the Merseyrail network once it is completed. It
will bring the benefits of quick, easy to use and good value local rail services
to more residents, and provide them with good links into Liverpool and a variety
of other destinations by rail."
Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council, said:- "I am delighted that
planning permission has been granted for the new Maghull North station. It
is vitally important that as our towns and communities grow there is sufficient
infrastructure to support them. The new Station is not only fantastic for
the local economy but will further improve public transport capacity and
connectivity across Sefton and the City Region."
More information on the scheme can be found
online.
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