Agenda item

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/24/40) seeking necessary approvals to deliver a new railway station at Okehampton Business Park, attached.

An Impact Assessment has been prepared, is attached, and also available on the website at Okehampton Interchange Station - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk) 

RESOLVED

(a) that pursuant to s.122 of the Local Government Act 1972, Cabinet approves the appropriation of land at Okehampton Business Park such that it be held for planning purposes under s226(1)(a) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;

(b) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated power to negotiate and authorise compensation payments and agreements which may be required pursuant to s.122 of the Local Government Act 1972 as a result of the appropriation of the land;

(c) that the construction of a new railway station with walking, cycling and public transport improvements and a station car park at Okehampton Business Park be approved within the Levelling Up Fund cost envelope of £14.95m, subject to securing the necessary planning consent and resolution of recommendations a) and b) of the Report;

(d) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated authority, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member and Local Member, to make minor amendments to the scheme design.

(Councillors Biederman, Leaver and Whitton attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/24/40) which sought the necessary approvals to deliver a new railway station at Okehampton Business Park, with step-free access, improved cycle links, bus stop infrastructure and a car park with EV charging points and disabled parking bays at Okehampton Business Park. The Report also sought approval for the appropriation of land for planning purposes. The Report had been circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

Figure 1 in the Report showed the new railway station at Okehampton Business Park on the east side of the town, building upon the success of the Dartmoor Line reopening in November 2021. It would serve the eastern side of the town where much of the residential growth and employment land was located.

The scheme itself (shown in Appendix 1) would be approximately 2.2km east of Okehampton Town Station and would provide a single, 100m long, 3.3m wide platform offering an hourly frequency service to Crediton and Exeter in one direction and an hourly frequency to Okehampton Town Station in the other.

Step-free pedestrian access was available which would also connect to a new c.200-space car park, including 5% disabled parking bays and 10% electric vehicle charging points. The car park and part of the bridge were located on land owned by DCC and shown edged blue on the plan at Appendix 3 (“the Site”).

For local connectivity, there would be a series of cycle improvements to provide attractive routes to the station from nearby residential areas on the east of the town (see Appendix 2), a new Toucan crossing as well as walking and cycling leisure opportunities.

The proposed station works would be submitted by Network Rail to the local planning authority (West Devon Borough Council) under a prior approval application under Part 18 of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO).

Section 3.3 of the Report outlined in detail the position with appropriation of land so that it could be used as a car park and bridge to support bringing the railway station development forward. The Cabinet noted that before land could be appropriated from one purpose to another, the requirements of s.122 of the Local Government Act 1972 must be met (that the Council must be satisfied that the land was no longer required for the purpose for which it was presently held and that the Council could acquire by agreement land for the purpose to which the land was to be appropriated.

The Cabinet noted that the requirements could be met in relation to the proposed railway station car park use, with further detailed consideration explained in section 8 legal considerations.

The adopted Plymouth and South Devon Local Plan had been subject to a full statutory consultation process with opportunities for stakeholders and members of the public to comment on land use proposals in Okehampton. Through this process there was support for the development of a rail station on the east of the town as part of the TTV13 allocation (see Figure 2).

The table in section 6 summarised how the proposals would impact achievement of relevant Strategic Plan actions according to a seven-point scale, whereby -3 represented a large negative impact and +3 a large positive impact. There would be environmental and public health benefits achieved through the delivery of a new rail station, including associated walking and cycling improvements.

The Council had worked closely with West Devon Borough Council on round 2 of the Levelling Up Fund and secured £13.455 million grant towards the West Devon Transport Hub project (interchange rail station at Okehampton Business Park, new car park, bus stop, cycle parking facilities and wider active travel linkages). The total approved project value was £14.95 million, of which £110,000 was land value. The funding included internal borrowing of £1.2 million and contributions of £120,000 from West Devon Borough Council towards the project.

The recommendations would enable the Site to be developed to support access for all, including walking, cycling and bus stop infrastructure. The Council was satisfied that the appropriation of the land satisfied the legal tests and could therefore override the restrictive covenant on the land. It was included in policy TTV13 of the Plymouth and South Devon Local Plan and there was strong local support for the new railway station. Funding had been secured through the Government’s Levelling Up Fund in partnership with West Devon Borough Council and the necessary governance arrangements were in place to support its future delivery in partnership with Network Rail and their supply chain.

An Impact Assessment had been prepared and was available on the website at Okehampton Interchange Station - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk), highlighting that the aim of the proposals was to provide an alternative to the private car for journeys between Okehampton and Exeter, and offering choice of rail travel for the wider rural area including West Devon, parts of Torridge and North Cornwall. The people potentially affected by the proposals were primarily people living or working within the Okehampton area, as well as people wishing to travel by rail from the wider West Devon area. Therefore, the diversity profile for the Okehampton area was presented in the Impact Assessment.

The matter having been debated and the options and alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability and carbon impact, risk management, equality and legal considerations and alignment with the Council’s Strategic Plan) set out in the Director’s Report having been considered:

it was MOVED by Councillor Davis, SECONDED by Councillor McInnes, and

RESOLVED

(a) that pursuant to s.122 of the Local Government Act 1972, Cabinet approves the appropriation of land at Okehampton Business Park such that it be held for planning purposes under s226(1)(a) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;

(b) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated power to negotiate and authorise compensation payments and agreements which may be required pursuant to s.122 of the Local Government Act 1972 as a result of the appropriation of the land;

(c) that the construction of a new railway station with walking, cycling and public transport improvements and a station car park at Okehampton Business Park be approved within the Levelling Up Fund cost envelope of £14.95m, subject to securing the necessary planning consent and resolution of recommendations a) and b) of the Report;

(d) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated authority, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member and Local Member, to make minor amendments to the scheme design.