MP tries to breathe life into Cullompton railway station

Lib Dem Richard Foord has met the rail minister to try and lobby funding

Attempts have been made by Honiton and Sidmouth MP Richard Foord to reignite plans for reopening Cullompton’s railway station.

Mr Foord spent two years pressing the previous government to bring the station, which closed in 1965, back into use, and wanted Labour to honour the proposal.

Although a glimmer of hope came in the first few days of the current government’s tenure, this was dashed after rail minister Lord Hendy confirmed the scheme wouldn’t be funded.

Mr Foord has now met Lord Hendy, and said while the peer was “not particularly optimistic”, he had asked for information that could bolster the case for the station reopening.

“Last week, I worked with local councils to compile the most compelling data that we could on the business case for the station, down to technical information like the cost-benefit ratio, which seems good for this scheme, as well as the one in Wellington, Somerset,” he said.

“It is partly about the amount of housing that will be built in both towns, particularly Cullompton, with the proposed Culm Garden Village potentially providing more than 5,000 homes.

“I cannot see having those houses without seeing the railway station first.”

He added that Cullompton station would be widely used by pedestrians and cyclists looking to commute to Exeter or further afield.

“It would be for commuter to use on a daily basis so that they don’t have to sit in traffic at junction 28 on the M5,” he added.