New Torquay rail station set for green light

Edginswell project has been on the cards for years

Torquay will move one step closer to getting its long-awaited new railway station next week.

Torbay Council planning committee is being advised to approve the new station at Edginswell on the outskirts of town.

The project has been described as a ‘big ticket’ item for the future of the bay. It will be close to Torbay Hospital as well as businesses and homes on the northern edge of Torquay.

It is seven years since the committee first considered plans for the station. However, there have been a number of objections to the proposal, citing issues including light and noise pollution as well as the effect on wildlife.

Network Rail wants to build it on a mixture of its own and the council’s land between Riviera Way and Newton Road. Planners will hear that ‘special circumstances’ would allow the development to go through green space.

An earlier version of the proposal included a 29-space car park, but that has gone from the latest plans. People will be encouraged to walk, cycle or use public transport to get to the station.

Concerns have already been raised over the effect on the already congested parking areas in Newton Road.

A report to the meeting says the site is home to bats, dormice, slow worms, badgers and hedgehogs, which all need to protected. Trees will be planted to replace those which have to be cut down to make way for the new station.

The report says the new rail halt will reduce reliance on cars and give households without a car better travel options. It sums up: “The addition of a rail facility in this location is deemed sustainable development that will offer positive economic, social and environmental outcomes.”

The planning committee meets next week to consider the application, and is likely to approve the plan subject to a number of conditions.