19 June 2014

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

THE Town Council is to discuss the future of St Margaret’s Loop at a meeting of the Amenities and Tourism committee tonight.

The loop is a piece of former railway line which was left redundant when the present commuter line to London replaced the former High and Low lines in the sixties.

St Margaret’s Loop goes off to the right in this picture

Reaching in a loop from behind the station up as far as Martell’s Charlwoods Road site it is badly overgrown, and lined with unsafe trees.

The area has become home to many bird, mammal and plant species – as well as a dumping ground for unwanted rubbish.

The land is jointly owned by Sustrans, the Town Council and Martells.

Its future is on tonight’s agenda because Sustrans have told the Council that if they can’t come up with a joint plan to upgrade and restore the loop Sustrans will look at developing their section alone.

“There has been some misconception in the Neighbourhood Plan consultation that ‘resolving the issue of St Margaret’s Loop’ meant selling it for housing. This has not been suggested by the Town Council which has always wanted to retain the Loop for public use as an area of recreation,” said Town Clerk Julie Holden.

“Other options include filling it in, and selling or leasing it to the gardens that back on to the cutting.

“A bike or walkway would retain the green avenue, but it may still be raised and some of the trees and vegetation removed.

“We would not like to see it developed for housing – but that begs the question ‘what could it be used for?’

“It is very, very early days. The Town Council very much wants to have a say in what happens to the loop, but we own only a small part of the land and if we fail to come to a mutual agreement, the other landowners could just do their own thing.

“But nothing is going to happen soon, and tonight’s meeting will simply open the discussion.

“Environmental and planning issues would take an enormous amount of work and effort to resolve, so we need at least to start thinking.”

One dilemma faced by the Town Council is that while there is no public access to their land, members of the public injured in the cutting could hold the Council liable, even though they were trespassing.

Another option the Council could consider would be to partially infill the area to create a gradual slope suitable for walkers and cyclists between Green Hedges and the station – if Sustrans or Martells would give permission for public access.

The cost would be ‘significant’ but could be offset by the revenue attracted by offering the site for hard core.