A £2m investment fund has been agreed by Wychavon County Council, which will be used to help encourage passengers to utilise the services available at Pershore Railway Station. Members of the Executive Board have agreed to pledge £500,000 of this funding towards the construction of a new £1.5m ‘flow footbridge’, which will link the station to council owned land at the Dawes Way in Pinvin.
Flow crossings are a recent innovation from Network Rail, which are made from FIBRE-Reinforced Polymer, with a modern flowing design. Due to the materials involved, they are lighter and cheaper than using steel bridges so will optimise the cash influx being awarded to the project. The current plans are to have the bridge work completed during Summer 2023, once the funding from external partners has been secured.
The other £1.5m that has been pledged, will be utilised to develop a car park with more than 300 spaces at Dawes Way, once the bridge work has been completed. Current plans are to have this car park leased to the current train operator; Great Western Railway, which would deliver a return on investment for Council taxpayers. The other option on the table is to simply have it run by Wychavon.
The current lack of parking availability has been identified as one of the key deterrent factors that inhibit the local community from optimising the railway availability. Due to this, Wychavon have pledged the improved car park in their corporate strategy, as well as renovating the cycling links to the station. Cycling and walking routes will be vital to incorporate the new 2,000 homes that are in development at Throckmorton.
Cllr Martin King, Executive Board Member for Resources, and Investment on Wychavon District Council, said:
"This has been a long time coming and it is a welcome step towards the completion of a lengthy project that without our support may otherwise disappear into thin air. This is an investment Pershore, and the surrounding area desperately needs. It will support rail travel in the area, and it is another example of Wychavon delivering on our commitments."
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