News archive 2005

 

25 November: Uckfield parking plan moves ahead

Uckfield is to gain a new 60-space rail car park on the town's former station site. The surprise decision to go ahead with the plans came at a special meeting held in Uckfield on 23 November, which brought together BRBR, Wealden MP Charles Hendry, local authorities and other interested parties.

Progress to re-open the old station site looks set to be rapid, with a further meeting being planned before Christmas to agree final details of the scheme. Once open, the car park will be run by Uckfield Town Council; it seems likely that parking charges will be in line with nearby Uckfield line stations.

Although BRBR still intends to the sell the site in the longer term, the organisation has undertaken not to do so until planning permission for an alternative use has been granted. Besides avoiding a situation whereby the car park might be closed and the site then left vacant, BRBR's undertaking will provide a valuable breathing space for the Central Corridor Rail Board, which is currently evaluating proposals to restore the Rail link between Lewes and Uckfield.

29 October: End of Lewes - Uckfield hopes?

As new rail schemes multiply in his native Scotland, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling seems set to approve a disastrous property development scheme for Uckfield's old station site. This will not only wreck plans for better local car parking, but also put an end to any hope of restoring the Lewes - Uckfield rail link.

In response to urgent questions from Lewes MP Norman Baker, an official of Mr Darling's rail property agency, BRB (Residuary), not only confirmed plans to sell off the site, but revealed that plans to safeguard the rail route through the site will be no more than a sham.

In his letter, Greg Beecroft, BRBR's property sales director, offers a number of wholly unsound reassurances, none of which even goes anywhere near satisfying the interests of either the Lewes-Uckfield reopening, or the London service commuter parking issue.

Specifically:

1. The "safeguards" rest merely on the notion that an 11m wide reservation strip is sufficient to allow a 'theoretical' re-opening. In reality, we know only too well that not only would the severance of the old platforms and trackbed with a new access road scupper re-opening, but also that housing and offices built here would then be deemed a development that would preclude a railway running so close by.

No one should be fooled by this sweet-talking.

2. What special provisions would be made to prevent building on the strip of land? We know all know how easily developers ignore these: "Oops, sorry, we've built on it now, well, never mind, we'll apply for retrospective".

In fact, the track has NOT been taken up -- as he wrongly assumes from the comfort of his London office -- and while naturally useless for new railway purposes, all the while it remains, it marks the land as 'railway'. Let us make no mistake. The developer's bulldozers will tear out the rails and sleepers, raze both platforms and level the land.

It will be covered with tarmac and the rest of the site will be developed right up to the permitted building line of this supposed 'reservation' which itself will contain the site's entire available space for car parking.

Thus even a re-opening itself would be challenged for eradicating all parking on this site.

3. We all know that development of the site will require planning permission, but I understand that developer Robin James' agent has already boasted that if it is refused they will simply go to appeal and win.

We cannot help wondering whether Wealden District Council would really have the guts for a fight? Past performance over sites in Uckfield's adjacent Bellbrook area isn't encouraging.

Rail interests go well beyond the 11m wide 'reserve strip' and it seems reasonable to ask if councillors from all council levels realise the true implications of losing this site to hostile development?

Even putting the fate of the Lewes - Uckfield scheme aside, we are faced with this situation:


a) The site is simply being sold so that BRBR (a wholly owned subsidiary of Mr Darling's Department for Transport - see bottom of letter) can make a bit of money for government coffers -- no matter that this is at our expense and the future interests of this area.

b) The land is desperately needed for commuter car parking in the short term and a proper railway station.

The current one is an utter disgrace for a town of Uckfield's size and importance, and in the longer term we need commensurate facilities, sizeable parking areas etc. We're not asking for one of the size we had, but a modest building, with just a warm waiting room out of the wind and rain, a decent office for staff, and a couple of toilets.

c) Given that Uckfield is being targeted by the government / ESCC to take a large proportion of new housing, the town MUST have the appropriate resources and facilities to meet this need. We simply can't keep on shoe-horning estates around the town with no regard for their infrastructure needs.

d) This issue has a major impact on surrounding places: Buxted - car parking; Haywards Heath - railheading; Brighton / Lewes - traffic jams -- and it is up to all councils to represent the interests of local people and take a united stand. 

 

Sadly, after more than eight years of transport failure from this government, we have no faith that Mr Darling will be at all reasonable and suspend the sale, let alone listen to East Sussex people.

But if we have to fight this every step of the way then we will, spurred on by the fact that this blow against better local rail services comes at the very time when there is a better chance of restoring the Lewes - Uckfield link than at any point in the last 36 years.

We will not let it be thrown away at the eleventh hour without a fight.

19 October: Opposition to site sell-off grows

Local opposition to plans which would see Uckfield's former station site sold off for development continues to grow. While Uckfield residents have been busy signing a petition in favour of restoring the site's transport role, both Wealden MP, Charles Hendry and Lewes MP, Norman Baker, have now intervened in the debate.

Mr Hendry has gone on record in the Uckfield and District Leader as being strongly opposed to anything that could undermine efforts, in which he is closely involved, to restore the Uckfield - Lewes link. He was also reported to have called for a meeting with landowner BRB (Residuary), which has now confirmed its intention to dispose of the site as ordinary development land.

The paper also quoted Chris Macve, president of Uckfield Chamber of Commerce as saying that, "the land must be retained and used as a facility to support the railway". Clearly, this will not be the case if developer Robin James is able to carry out his plan to use the land to build shops and houses, with only a token strip left clear for future rail developments (see story below).

In a separate move, Norman Baker has written to our Campaign Director Brian Hart in support of the Lewes - Uckfield rail scheme, stating that he will be seeking a full explanation of what is going on from BRBR. In addition he has forwarded our campaign a letter from Wealden District Council in which Director of Environmental Services, Lesley Barakchizadeh, states his firm opposition to the development plans.

Noting his council's long term support of the Lewes - Uckfield rail link, Mr Barakchizadeh makes clear his concern at the plans, and adds that he will be writing to BRBR calling for it to cancel the planned sale so that the current scheme to revive the line can be properly considered.

10 September: Uckfield station site under threat -- again

Contacts between Uckfield Town Council and British Rail Board (Residuary) have confirmed that this shadowy Department for Transport-controlled quango is intent on selling off the former station site for retail and housing development with no regard whatsoever for its potential transport use.

Unless this sale can be blocked, not only will Uckfield Town Council's plans to re-open the site as a rail car park will be wrecked, but restoring the Lewes - Uckfield rail link will probably become so difficult and expensive as to be practically impossible. For even though the developer's proposals may pay lip service to the idea of preserving a rail corridor, they will create four very serious obstacles:

The developer's scheme for the site does not even make sense in its own terms. Just months ago campaigners for a car park on the site were told that the flood risk was too great for this to be allowed. How then can it now be acceptable to build shops and houses on the site?

Supporters of the Wealden Line Campaign can rest assured that along with our allies in the community, on local councils and at Westminster we are doing all that we can to sound the alarm bells.

If, against all common sense, this misguided property development scheme still goes ahead, no decision maker either locally or nationally will be able to plead ignorance when all its destructive implications become clear.

25 August: City councillor backs campaign

Brighton and Hove City councillor Geoffrey Theobald has reaffirmed his support for the Wealden Line Campaign. In a letter to Campaign Director Brian Hart, he has underlined his long term commitment to seeing the Lewes - Uckfield link restored, as well as noting its important potential contribution to cutting road congestion in the city.

It would do this, he argues, by providing a practical alternative to the private car for the large number of visitors and local employees who travel into Brighton and Hove from the growing towns of Uckfield and Crowborough, and the Wealden area in general.

Councillor Theobald, who previously served on East Sussex County Council from 1973 to 1997, has first hand experience of local transport issues, having been both Council Leader and chairman of the ESCC Highways and Transportation Committee.

Last month he submitted the following motion to Brighton and Hove City Council:

"This Council fully supports the reopening of the Lewes to Uckfield Railway Line. Linking Lewes to Uckfield by rail will once again have the following advantages to the residents and businesses of Brighton and Hove and to visitors to the city:

1.It will provide an alternative route between Brighton and London when works are being carried out on the main London to Brighton line and will be particularly advantageous to those wishing to travel between the two cities on Sundays when the main line is frequently interrupted by maintenance works.

2.The main line is now virtually at capacity and therefore the frequency and speed of trains could be increased.

3.It will enable employees of businesses and visitors to travel by rail to and from the growing communities of Uckfield and Crowborough."

It was passed unanimously at the 21 July council meeting.

22 August: Key rail recommendations ignored says councillor

Uckfield town councillor Duncan Bennett has warned that in discounting plans to revive the town's former station car park, ESCC planners have ignored a key recommendation by the government's Commission for Integrated Transport (CFiT) on car - rail interchange.

In section 4.1 of its report Physical Integration, CFiT states that "it is essential to integrate the car driver into the public transport network", with "ease of interchange ... with rail services" being "a priority". Clearly, a precondition for this is adequate car parking. This is certainly not available at Uckfield at the present time -- and will not be available unless council officers listen to what local people and their elected representatives are saying.

In addition, Councillor Bennett, has discovered that, incredibly, the former station site is still being advertised for sale by Strategic Rail Authority subsidiary BRB (Residuary). Besides posing an obvious threat to long term prospects for restoring the Lewes - Uckfield rail link, this again is in complete opposition to CFiT, section 4.3 of whose reports states that "railway land that may be needed in future for car parking should not be sold."

With the Department for Transport assuming direct responsibility for BRB (Residuary) now that the SRA is disappearing, and with its own transport think tank, CFiT, having made its views so clear, the ball is very firmly in the government's court.

Will transport secretary Alistair Darling now be prepared to match John Prescott's past rhetoric about integrated transport with some real action?

19 August: ESCC planners make a wrong turn

A letter from East Sussex County Council's transport and environment department has puzzled campaigners for a better station car park at Uckfield, and called into question the council's priorities on the Lewes - Uckfield rail scheme.

In the letter, addressed to Uckfield Town Council, council officers now appear to be backing away from their earlier support for the project, claiming among other things that it might adversely affect traffic flow in the town, might not be secure -- and even that parking problems near the station might not be linked to a lack of passenger parking spaces!

Not surprisingly, the letter has caused frustration and disappointment in Uckfield, and we ourselves are highly sceptical of the arguments put forward, which appear to set needlessly high targets for the scheme while making some very dubious assumptions. More seriously, it strongly implies that the highways department still favours a non-railway development project for the site, which is likely to include a gyratory road scheme for Uckfield, similar to that at Newhaven.

If such a road were built, which would involve a new river Uck crossing linking into the Bell Lane industrial estate, any long-term plan to restore the Lewes - Uckfield link would be seriously compromised, because the site would no longer be available for a new station and an entirely new level crossing would be required.

Given that County Councillor Rupert Simmonds and his colleagues have put in so much good work with the Central Corridor Rail Board, which is working towards restoring the Lewes - Uckfield rail link, it is strange and disturbing to see council officers following a policy that not only seems designed to discourage rail travel on the existing Uckfield line, but also to make its extension to Lewes all but impossible.

Along with Uckfield town councillors, and other local supporters of the rail scheme, the Wealden Line Campaign will be seeking an early clarification of ESCC policy.

uTo see the ESCC letter, along with the Wealden Line Campaign's comments, click here.

23 July: Strong showing for annual walk

More than 35 people -- and one dog -- turned out for our annual walk, which ran from Lewes to Uckfield this year. Thanks in large part to the fine weather throughout the day and a warm welcome from the Lavender Line at Isfield, it proved to be an excellent day out, providing an excellent opportunity to see the route of the Lewes - Uckfield rail link at first hand.

After leaving Lewes station (photo), participants were able to see where the old approach to Lewes used to span Cliffe High Street, before it crossed the Ouse and headed into Malling cutting where a section the old formation is still in use as a path.

Further on towards Hamsey, Campaign Director Brian Hart explained how a restored rail link would use the current Lewes - London route to enter the town, cutting across from the original route on a short section of new track. After a quick stop where our walk crossed the disused southern section of the Bluebell Railway near the former Culver Junction, it was a short hop over to Barcombe Mills, where the local press was waiting to interview Brian and get some photos.

At Isfield, the Lavender Line generously threw its doors open to our group, and even arranged a special train as far as Little Horsted. Among the preserved rolling stock on display was old 1950s DEMU stock from the Uckfield line, of the same type that was in regular service as recently as last year!

After a long lunch break at Isfield, walkers arrived at Uckfield station just after 16.30: a total time for the journey of around 6 hours 15 minutes. While it proved a very pleasant day out in the country for everybody, we can only hope that before too long we will have the option of making the journey somewhat more quickly by train!

10 July: Lewes - Uckfield service set for 23 July!

Yes, unfortunately there is a slight catch! Passengers on this service will have to bring a comfortable pair of shoes and a drink, because the '10.15 Lewes - Uckfield' on 23 July is none other than our annual walk.

Everyone is welcome to join this event, which will take participants on an attractive 10-mile walk through the East Sussex countryside, broadly following the course of the rail link that was needlessly closed in 1969.

We'll be meeting up outside the main entrance of Lewes station shortly after 10.00 and will depart for Uckfield at 10.15. Initially we will follow the Ouse as far as Hamsey, then we'll branch off cross-country to Barcombe Mills station, walking directly along the trackbed from there to Anchor Crossing, before rejoining the footpath to reach Isfield.

After a very successful visit to the Lavender Line last year, we'll take a long lunch break in the village, giving participants the option of a leisurely meal at the nearby Laughing Fish or a visit to this small preserved railway, which also has its very own 'Cinders' buffet.

To finish the day our 'virtual train' will make the short hop from Isfield to Uckfield railway station, which we plan to reach at about 17.00, providing a good connection with the (real!) 17.34 Turbostar to London Bridge. People who require other destinations will also find bus connection to Lewes, Eastbourne and Tunbridge Wells.

The walk is classed as 'moderate', with most of the route covering gently undulating countryside, and is always an enjoyable day out -- even if we do require a little longer than the 10 minutes a Turbostar would take for the journey!

30 June: Old news is no news for Lewes - Uckfield

A routine parliamentary answer by transport secretary Alistair Darling has prompted a rash of misleading and pessimistic media reports on the prospects for the Lewes - Uckfield reopening scheme.

However, Mr Darling's negative reply to a question from Lewes MP Norman Baker, to the effect that there is little likelihood of the line reopening "in the near future", is simply a restatement of his department's long-standing 'do-nothing' position on the issue. It in no way casts any doubt on current privately backed moves to restore the link, which continue to move ahead.

Wealden Line Campaign Director Brian Hart said: "There's absolutely nothing new in what Mr Darling has said. This is a government that has contributed nothing to this project in more than eight years -- despite all their bluster about providing better public transport. So we shouldn't be at all surprised when Mr Darling, who is regarded as one of the most anti-rail transport ministers in the last 20 years, simply continues that policy."

"The fact that they have managed to reopen just 12 miles of railway since May 1997 -- no more than 1.5 miles per year -- really tells us all we need to know about their much-vaunted 'integrated transport policy' -- and their targets for increased rail use."

"Fortunately, current plans to get this link reopened rest on people who have a solid reputation of getting rail projects completed, rather than just churning out political spin."

See the full text of Mr Baker's question here -- and his press release.

11 June: Car park costs tumble

Plans to restore the former station car park at Uckfield have received a major boost with the news that the scheme could be much cheaper than had been thought. Initially, train operator Southern had suggested that the work might cost as much as £200,000, but now a council official has put put the cost at nearer £5,000.

Wealden District Council grounds maintenance manager John Pritchett told the Uckfield and District Leader that all that was needed to make a usable parking area was for saplings and undergrowth to be cleared from the existing tarmac surface. Although Mr Pritchett's figure did not include costings for fencing and lighting, it clearly shows that the site could be restored on an experimental basis at relatively low cost. If successful, facilities could be progressively upgraded.

Currently Uckfield Town Council is spearheading moves to restore the car park, and has been in talks with the land owner, British Rail Board Residuary. Both the Wealden Line Campaign and the Uckfield Regeneration Partnership have strongly supported the council's action.

In addition to the obvious advantages for both rail users and local residents, who have seen their roads clogged with parked cars, restoring the old station site to use is also seen as crucial to longer term plans for the Lewes - Uckfield rail link.

This is because the car park scheme would play a major role in safeguarding the land against inappropriate development proposals, which could make restoring the route either very difficult or effectively impossible.

7 May: Campaign supporters re-elected

We are happy to congratulate both Norman Baker and Charles Hendry on their re-election as MPs for Lewes and Wealden respectively.

Both men have been long-term supporters of our campaign, and we are confident that in the new parliament they will continue working to restore the Lewes - Uckfield rail link.

11 April: Campaign backs common-sense councillor

The Wealden Line Campaign has given its full backing to Uckfield Town Councillor Duncan Bennett's call for the old station site to be restored to use as a car park.

Interviewed in the 7 April edition of the 'Uckfield and Heathfield Leader', Councillor Bennett described the current parking situation as "ridiculous".

We agree, and have again challenged objections to its use put forward by the Environment Agency -- objections that many believe are stalling progress on the issue, and damaging prospects for the town's new improved rail services.

23 March: Lewes - Uckfield project moves ahead

Sources close to the 18 March meeting of the 'Central Corridor Rail Board' have reported 'very positive' feedback. East Sussex County Council (ESCC), a key member of the group, backed up this view in a press release, which quoted council vice-chairman Rupert Simmons as being "very pleased with the progress which has been made to date".

Local MPs Norman Baker and Charles Hendry also reported good progress, with Mr Baker reported to be "encouraged" and Mr Hendry noting that prospects for restoring the link "look better now than at any time since it was closed".

The private consortium behind the proposals to revive the Lewes - Uckfield link will now move to refine its proposals and prepare a robust business case for the project, which our source reports will require "a staggering amount of detail" to satisfy Network Rail and the SRA. This process is expected to require backing of around £100,000 from private sources; however, it is not anticipated that raising this will present serious difficulties.

Naturally, the Wealden Line Campaign welcomes the progress being made, which comes as a welcome contrast with the delays and fruitless discussion that have always bedevilled the scheme in the past. However, there is much preparatory work to be done, and we will be working hard over the next few months to help ensure that the political momentum for the project is maintained.

Traffic soars on Uckfield line

Train operator Southern has reported a 37% increase in patronage on Uckfield line trains since the new Turbostar trains replaced the obsolete DEMU stock. Though popular with enthusiasts, these uncomfortable, non-corridor vehicles, the oldest of which dated from 1957, had long been a powerful deterrent to travel on the route.

While the figures are naturally good news for Southern, they are also a powerful demonstration of the route's potential for growth -- all the more so because it currently has no significant southbound destinations. Once the route is reconnected to the main South Coast rail network, we anticipate even greater increases in traffic.

All that's needed is just seven miles of track from Lewes to Uckfield...

8 March: Tory manifesto backs campaign

The Conservative manifesto for the 5 May county elections has provided welcome support for the Wealden Line Campaign. In an open letter being sent to voters across East Sussex, County Council Leader Peter Jones stressed that the council's ruling Conservative group was "pressing for the restoration of the Lewes to Uckfield line".

While county councillors have often referred to a general need to improve local rail services, this is the first time that our campaign has found such specific support in a party programme.

With the next meeting of the 'Central Corridor Rail Board' scheduled for 18 March, we welcome Mr Jones' letter as a sign that the Lewes - Uckfield rail link is at last getting the attention at County Hall it deserves.

1 February: Tunbridge Wells turnback plan resurfaces

Long-postponed plans for a turnback siding at Tunbridge Wells, for use by terminating London services, have resurfaced in the SRA's new 'Integrated Kent Franchise Stakeholder Briefing Document'*. According to the document, Network Rail will be committed to building the facility as part of the infrastructure for the new franchise, which will replace the current state-run operator, South Eastern Trains.

The move could prove highly significant for our campaign, as the most obvious way to achieve this would be to restore a substantial part of the connecting line between the former Grove junction and Tunbridge Wells West station.

Forming part of the Tunbridge Wells - Eridge route, this section of line was closed in July 1985. Its partial restoration as a siding would bring electric trains within 700 yards of the end of the current preserved route from Eridge (Birchden junction)#. If combined with a revived Lewes - Uckfield link, this would mean that the former Lewes - Tonbridge route, linking Kent and East Sussex and severed in February 1969, could be restored with less than half a mile of new track.

In addition to providing a fast link between Tunbridge Wells, Brighton and other South Coast towns, such a route would also form part of a major new rail corridor linking London, West Kent and the Weald with the Transmanche ferry terminal at Newhaven Harbour.

Proposals to use part of the former Grove junction - Tunbridge Wells West link as a turnback siding came to prominence in the spring of 2002, prompted by congestion at the former Tunbridge Wells Central station (now simply Tunbridge Wells), which had never been designed to accommodate terminating trains. However, probably due to the failure of train operator Connex SouthEastern, they went no further than the initial planning stage.

At that time, plans obtained by the Wealden Line Campaign suggested that the track could be restored as far west as the bridge which carries Warwick Park over the route. This is only a few yards short of the eastern portal of Grove tunnel.

* Integrated Kent Franchise Stakeholder Briefing Document, SRA, January 2005, p.20. (download as pdf - 435KB)
# See this gallery for a detailed description of the Eridge - Tunbridge Wells route.

6 January 2005: Campaign welcomes fare deal for Uckfield line

The Wealden Line Campaign has welcomed Southern's decision to extend a range of off-peak tickets to the 08.34 Uckfield - London Bridge service. The company's move follows representations by the campaign, which had been approached by passengers who had formerly used the discontinued 09.00, and were disappointed to have to wait until 09.34 to use cheap day returns and off-peak Travelcards.

The 08.34 train allows passengers to arrive in London at 09.52, eight minutes before the usual 10.00 break-point for off-peak fares, and far earlier than the old 09.00 train, which involved a change at Oxted onto an East Grinstead - Victoria stopping train.

Southern's move also means that Uckfield now compares very well with better- served stations like Haywards Heath as a starting point for an off-peak journey to London.

There are also substantial cost advantages in using the Uckfield line. For example, an all-zone off-peak Travelcard from Uckfield is just £13.90 as compared with £16.90 from Haywards Heath.

Similar price advantages also benefit peak-hour passengers. A weekly season ticket from Uckfield is £56.50 (£85.80 from Haywards Heath) and an annual season ticket is £1,740 (£2,952), representing a saving of £1,212!