Rail revival hopes gather pace as long-awaited link edges closer to scrutiny, with campaigners warning the journey is only just beginning.
Infrastructure director for Railfuture Roger Blake told councillors that proposals to reconnect Bideford to the rail network remain at an early stage, despite growing collaboration and mounting local interest. Speaking to the Torridge and North Devon Joint Planning Policy Committee, he said the scheme would need to pass through a series of formal assessments before any construction could be considered.
Roger, who is also acting convener for the Northern Devon Railway Development Alliance (NDRDA), said the group was established in December 2023 to bring together organisations and stakeholders to explore the possibility of reinstating services.
He reminded members that a previous committee meeting in July 2022 had resolved that the Bideford to Barnstaple rail link should be considered as part of the People and Place project.
Roger said: “We do not have a timetable, but we do have a scheme development programme.”
He added that both the council and the alliance shared a “common destination” in reaching independent examination, either through the emerging North Devon and Torridge Local Plan or a future Development Consent Order application.
The alliance has published a preliminary strategic business case and is now aiming to progress to a strategic outline business case, subject to funding. Roger said this stage would ideally be completed by Saturday, March 29, to align with the Local Plan timetable. Government approval would then be required before further development work could continue.
He said: “We each have to work through a sequence of processes to present evidence and test assumptions before reaching any conclusions rather than speculate about a product.”
Roger also highlighted the scale of the potential project, noting that any new rail link could be delivered decades after major infrastructure such as the North Devon Link Road, Torridge Bridge and the Tarka Trail.
He said the alliance’s role was to act as a “mediating” body, bringing together around four dozen partners and stakeholders to examine options and evidence.
Roger added: “There is no commitment to anything other than the gathering and testing of evidence and options against addressing problems and meeting objectives.”
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