The preferred site for the future Haxby station has been revealed to be to the north of Haxby, off Towthorpe Road.
In a report to be presented to the Executive next week, the two most viable sites, Station Road (site 1) and Towthorpe Road (site 2), have been compared and evaluated.
After evaluation, council officers believe site 2, on Towthorpe Road, has a much stronger case for the station location.
Considerations include the ownership of the land, deliverability within the Department for Transport’s required timescales, potential connectivity, and ease of access.
In addition, the adjacent land on Towthorpe Road is larger for facilities such as car parking, and is located further away from the nearby primary school.
A further public consultation is planned during the next development stage to better understand any local concerns and any measures which will be considered to mitigate any impacts of building a station at the preferred site.
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Councillor Edward Pearson, Liberal Democrat councillor for Haxby and Wigginton ward, said: “Haxby and Wigginton residents have been waiting patiently for a much needed new railway station for decades.
“Following our successful campaign, the development of a robust and compelling business case has brought Government and the Rail Industry on board, and now a preferred site has been clearly identified.
“Along with many local residents and businesses, I am incredibly pleased to see this hugely important local railway station project gathering pace.
“The new station would provide direct access to the rail network for thousands of local residents from Haxby, Wigginton, and surrounding communities.
“The preferred site has clear benefits; however we are aware some residents have legitimate concerns over localised impacts, so we welcome further consultation to listen to local residents and identify opportunities to mitigate these concerns and make Haxby station a real community asset.”
Here’s a link to the executive report with more details.
Haxby Town Councillor, Tony Richardson, was not impressed.
“The leader and fellow ward councillors have sold Haxby out again, the local plan states the town’s needs and that the best place is on Station Rd, closer to the centre, in walking distance, with access by bus not cars.
“More cars will bring gridlock and the carbon emissions that the council claims to be reducing will go up.
“It’s not what the residents want, parking each side of the road at the new site will close the road off, traffic from Strensall will make the area even worse.”