New vision for Newton Abbot railway stationPlans for a new entrance from the Brunel Industrial Estate have been unveiled and submitted to planners - with thousands of people set to benefit dailyHuge plans for a new entrance to Newton Abbot railway station from the Brunel Industrial Estate have been revealed.
Thousands of employees who work on the estate and residents in Buckland and Milber are set to benefit from the new station building.
It would be built on land currently used as parking by International Dance Supplies and Royal Mail, with the existing footbridge across the platforms to be extended to connect to the new Brunel Industrial Estate entrance.
The scheme, submitted to Devon County Council planners, will improve accessibility to the station from Brunel Industrial Estate to the east, making it a more attractive travel option over the car, and promote the railway as a form of public transport.
Artist impression of the footbridge extension and new entrance to Newton Abbot railway stationThe extended footbridge would provide an eastern access to the station, would be at a height to safeguard for future electrification of the line, and the span of the bridge would allow space for a possible second relief line and platform should the station be developed in this way in the future, documents with the plans say.
The existing entrance from Station Road would remain open under the plans.
Devon County Council themselves are listed as the applicants, and a planning statement with the scheme says: “It is considered that the proposed new entrance to Newton Abbot Railway Station will improve accessibility to the station from Brunel Industrial Estate to the east, making it a more attractive travel option over the car, thereby promoting the use of the railway as a form of public transport.
Artist impression of the footbridge extension and new entrance to Newton Abbot railway station“The plans will improve connectivity and access to the station from Brunel Industrial Estate and Buckland residential area and will contribute towards achieving sustainable travel objectives by providing a more attractive travel choice for users.”
Sally Henley, Newton Abbot’s town development manager, has welcomed the scheme, and said: “Residents of the town and businesses in Newton Abbot have long wished for a bridge which would allow easier access to the train station and to the town centre from the Brunel estate and vice versa.
“It is hoped that in the spirit of collaborative working, that the bridge will allow for all those wishing to access Queen Street, rather than merely facilitating access to rail users. It is hoped, if this is not currently part of the plan, that it may become so and all stakeholders given the opportunity to build upon the proposed investment.
“If all opportunities are maximised, this would be to the benefit of the community and the economic benefit of Newton Abbot as a whole. At a time of economic constraints it is hoped that all stakeholders will come together to realise this long held objective.”
Newton Abbot railway station (Image: Daniel Clark)Cllr Gordon Hook, leader elect of Teignbridge District Council and who represents the Buckland and Milber ward, added: "It is clear that anything that improving access to the station is very much welcome." But he added that he hoped there could be access to all who wish to use the very many cycleways around the station and not just access to the station.
The documents reveal that the footbridge will be approximately 22m long and connect to the end of the existing footbridge. It would be fabricated in the construction area, then craned into position during a night-time rail closure.
The end of the existing footbridge will require modification for the proposed footbridge extension to connect to it, with the removal of part of the end trimmer girder, platform canopy and removal of the end lunette window of the existing footbridge.
Where the new entrance to Newton Abbot railway station will be built (Image: Daniel Clark)Land that is currently used as parking by International Dance Supplies and Royal Mail is where the new station entrance will be built, with cycle racks included. The eight parking spaces will be relocated.
The positioning of the new building would require the realignment of Great Western Way to the west of Forde Court, while maintaining access to the Network Rail access road and sidings, the documents add.
They add: “The new station building will include a stairwell surrounded by a central lift core and will have basic station facilities such as ticketing machines, visual information displays and ticket gates.
“The aim is to improve access to the station to over 3,000 employees that work on the Brunel Industrial Estate and to the Buckland residential area which has over 1,400 houses.”
Newton Abbot railway station (Image: Daniel Clark)Brunel Industrial Estate provides a range of services which are likely to be accessed by members of the public, which include the Teignbridge District Council offices, Job Centre Plus, and Teign Housing, the documents state, adding: “Not only would the new access benefit members of the public accessing these services but also the 3,000 employees of Brunel Industrial Estate.
“This scheme would reduce this distance considerably for Brunel Industrial Estate bringing the estate within recommended requirements. Furthermore, this scheme would halve the walking distance for parts of Buckland residential area, from 1.6km or 20 minutes to 800m or 10 minutes.
“The new station building would make Newton Abbot Railway Station more accessible by cutting down the walk which includes the busy Torquay Road and associated level difference with crossing the railway for both Brunel Industrial Estate and Buckland residential area.
Artist impression of the footbridge extension and new entrance to Newton Abbot railway station“This scheme comes under
DCC» ’s ‘Devon Metro Station Programme’ which aims to improve the rail network within Devon by providing new stations, passing loops and additional services to meet the demands of rapid growth within the area.
“Newton Abbot Railway Station passenger numbers increased by two per cent in 2016/17, where entries and exits went from 1,170,480 in 2015/16 to 1,193,454 in 2016/17 (Office of Rail and Road)
“All these passengers currently access the station from the single access point to the west. A new access to the east would help to distribute the high passenger numbers that currently all use the west side of the station, improving efficiency and passenger journey quality, and increase capacity to provide for future growth.”
Devon County Council planners will determine the fate of the application at a later date.
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