Funding for new Kenilworth station rejected...

[dutchman]

The vision of a train station in Kenilworth was shaken this week after funding plans fell through.


Computer simulation of how the new station would look

Warwickshire County Council applied to the Government’s Regional Growth Fund to help build the station in Priory Road, but it found out this week that it had been unsuccessful.

This means that even if the project is given full planning permission, it may not ever be built because there is not enough money, at the moment, to fund it.

Cllr John Whitehouse (Lib Dem, Abbey) said: “I will be having a briefing from county council officers this week to see where we go from here.

“I’m hoping we have other ideas to fund this station because it was our only funding bid. We tried to put the best bid forward to the Regional Growth Fund but it turned out that it was massively over subscribed.

“It’s very disappointing that we weren’t successful, but we need to brainstorm now to see what other forms of funding are available to us as we need around £6 million to add to the money we already have.

“This is only a setback and I believe there are other ways to make this project come to fruition.”

Cllr Alan Cockburn (Con, St Johns) added: I’m sure we will get funding from somewhere eventually.”

The outline planning application for the station, which has been passed by Warwick District Council planning committee, will come before the county council regulatory committee next week, for the second time, for final approval or rejection.

If the application is granted then it means in principle the railway station has been approved, but if funding is found and the project goes forward with more detail, the planning application may need to be re-approved.

If plans go ahead and funding is found the train station will have two platforms, a footbridge, car parking and other features such as ticket machines.

The station will also have a 1980s design and may even have a window from the town’s old train station. The planned opening date before funding fell through was August 2013.