Periodically the Council has to undertake projects that arise from specific issues. A project in this instance can be defined as any type of work that has a beginning and an end and is required to produce a pre-defined outcome. Projects need resources and a specific timetable to complete and lie outside the normal operations of the Parish Council. Examples of such projects are the Parish Plan, the Strategic Plan for JPC, the Feasibility Study for the Railway Station, the work that was carried out to achieve the Parish Council's Quality accreditation and indeed the development of this website.
29/02/2008 - Developments on Henley in Arden Railway Station
The light at the end of the tunnel?
We have recently been informed by Network Rail and Pennycuick Collins Ralphs & Janes that the conditional contracts for the sale of the station buildings in Henley have been exchanged. This is the good news which we have been waiting to hear for a long time. Nothing substantial could have been done to improve the site of the station until the derelict buildings were sold and someone took responsibility for re-developing them. This task we understand is now with Pennycuick Collins Ralphs & Janes who are acting on behalf of the purchaser "Great Western Development (Henley-in-Arden) LLP".
Good news on this occasion came in twos! We have also been informed by Warwickshire County Council that the Department of Transport has announced that Henley in Arden, amongst other stations will benefit from the £370 million 'Access for All' funding. The aim is to make rail travel more accessible for disabled and older people and parents with pushchairs. This will involve the redevelopment of the station infrastructure to provide step-free access from the station entrance to platforms, in addition to a range of facilities, such as improved lighting, hearing induction loops and passenger information screens.
The completion for the above is 2012-2015. This is a long time to wait for a station like Henley which has been boarded up without any facilities for more than a decade. At the time of writing we do not know why this work cannot be incorporated within the other construction activities which should be undertaken well before 2012. This is an area which needs more discussion.
We can now look forward to the next phase of this project when the civil engineering work and other activities will take place in order to improve substantially the whole site. There is a great deal of work to be done i.e.
The architects to design the new building, obtain approval from Network Rail and then submit and process the Planning Application
Developing the new building (if planning application is approved)
Redeveloping the car park and expanding it to the south
Complete the refurbishment of the bridge
Install security measures at the site
Utilise new buildings
Enhance the environment of the site implement good housekeeping.
Promote the station and consider improving the overall timetable
Implement the Access for All work
This is also the ideal time to examine options for increasing the utilisation of the site. There are a number of different stakeholders who will be involved in the above and therefore project management is essential.
The Parish Council sees our local railway station as an important asset to our community. We shall do all that we can to help so that this project is completed in a timely manner. As a Parish Council our involvement will be within the rules and regulations in which we have to operate, but equally we are determined to promote the interests of our town.
If there are any questions on the above please write to the Parish Council for the attention of Cllr George Matheou.
Projects in Progress -
Promote Henley-in-Arden for Business and Employment
Develop website for Tourism
Enhance Market Cross
Improve Parking in the town
Maintain & improve security and safety in the Parish
Manage the flood risk in the Parish
Monitor and manage the efficiency of the Allotments
