Cottam Parkway - Compulsory Purchase Orders Confirmed, Station To Be Built

[LancasterRed]

Plans for a new railway station in North West Preston have accelerated after Lancashire County Council approved the use of powers to acquire any land it needs for the multi-million pound project.

The authority’s cabinet supported the use of compulsory purchase orders – should they become necessary – as part of work to construct the facility at Cottam Parkway. Separate negotiations are already under way with landowners.

The park and ride station will be located on a parcel of land west of Lea Road and east of Sidgreaves Lane, near to the former site of Lea Road Station, which closed back in 1938.

It will serve the rapidly growing population in that part of the city, where more than 6,000 new homes are ultimately due to be built.

Situated on the South Fylde line – which runs between Preston and Blackpool – it is hoped that the £24m development will help reduce traffic congestion at pinch-points in and around the city.

The station is also intended to improve access to existing and new employment opportunities at the Enterprise Zone at Warton. That aim would be achieved in combination with the under-construction Preston Western Distributor, linking the A583 with a new junction on the M55.


No opening date for the station has yet been set, but the government’s cash contribution of £22.3m – obtained via the Transforming Cities Fund earlier this year – came with a condition that it must be spent by 2023. A further £2.1m is being provided locally, including the use of funds from the region’s City Deal.

Michael Green, the county council’s member for economic development, environment and planning, told a cabinet meeting that the station would ”make a massive improvement to [Lancashire’s] infrastructure and [be] a great boost to that part of the county”.

The main access to the station and its associated car park will be north of the railway line, on the eastbound line side – with a footbridge providing access to the westbound platform south of the line.

A new roundabout is proposed on Cottam Link Road at its junction with Sidgreaves Lane. The road will then head south on the western side of Sidgreaves Lane and bridge the Lancaster Canal.

Before joining Cottam Parkway car park, the access road will cut across Sidgreaves Lane, where a new T-junction is proposed. It then continues east, parallel to the new station car park, and culminates in a turning area for station pick up and drop off.

A bus and cycle gate link is proposed to join the turning area to the existing Lea Road, preventing through traffic between Lea Road and Sidgreaves Lane. The remaining sections of the existing Sidgreaves Lane – running parallel to the new road and its bridge over the canal – will be retained as a segregated route solely for non-motorised road users.

Highways cabinet member Keith Iddon described the scheme as “a vital part of our plans to provide the sustainable transport networks needed to support economic growth in Preston and the Fylde”.

Preston set for new railway station to help reduce city traffic

The facility will be constructed at Cottam where more than 6,000 homes are due to be built

www.lancs.live

Big news coming out of Preston today.

 

[Elecman]

it’s on the Preston to Kirkham line NOT the South Fylde line

 

[LancasterRed]

it’s on the Preston to Kirkham line NOT the South Fylde line

I suspect in the initial stages of Cottam Parkway's operations only South Fylde line trains will stop there.

 

[LancasterRed]

Cottam should mean nothing for Salwick; still an important station for workers. In fact, this helps Salwick workers who can park at Cottam then make the short hop to Salwick.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Attached are the "Before " view of the location of Cottam Parkway Station. I plant to take photos every time I am home in the UK and update the thread accordingly.
Photo 1 New station will be in the upper left quadrant.
Photo 2 New station will be in the centre of the photo.
Photo 3 New station will be slightly left of centre.
Photo 4 New station will be in the approximate centre.

 

[steamybrian]

Can someone confirm that it is on the site of the former Lea Road station - closed in 1938...

 

[PR1Berske]

Can someone confirm that it is on the site of the former Lea Road station - closed in 1938...

Yes, effectively the proposed platforms start where the Lea Road platforms ended. I posted a link to a relevant Lancashire CC document to the new stations thread, I'll cross post it here when I find it.

Edit
.

Cottam railway station, as featured in the OP, is mentioned in Article 7 of these Minutes of a Cabinet meeting of Lancashire County Council. There is also a map of the proposed location.

Agenda for Cabinet on Thursday, 3rd December, 2020, 2.00 pm

council.lancashire.gov.uk

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

There was mention made in a posting the compulsory purchase powers had been granted, should they have been needed. Were any such powers actually exercised?

 

[PR1Berske]

There was mention made in a posting the compulsory purchase powers had been granted, should they have been needed. Were any such powers actually exercised?

I can't find a source to show that they've been exercised. Given the site of the station they will have to be!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

There was mention made in a posting the compulsory purchase powers had been granted, should they have been needed. Were any such powers actually exercised?

There is no housing to be demolished but there is a farmers field so I am not 100 % sure.

 

[PR1Berske]

Image shows proposed location of Cottam railway station in Preston, with planned access roads and car park marked in appropriate colours.

 

[Leyther]

From the image. Looks like a new bridge over the canal and part of the road will be widened on the west side access.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Yes, effectively the proposed platforms start where the Lea Road platforms ended.
.

Why could not the original Lea Road station site have been used. What had impinged upon that area?

From the image. Looks like a new bridge over the canal and part of the road will be widened on the west side access.

Will the Lancaster Canal be closed during the new overbridge works?

 

[Leyther]

Why could not the original Lea Road station site have been used. What had impinged upon that area?


Will the Lancaster Canal be closed during the new overbridge works?

Pretty sure the old lea road station was an island platform.
Access was via an archway in the bridge west side.
As you drive under the bridge you can see the bricked up archway.
New access road being built on lea road as well.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

So to build on the exact same site was not ideal even though the new station will impinge to a degree

 

[Leyther]

So to build on the exact same site was not ideal even though the new station will impinge to a degree

Certainly access wise for car, public transport and ability access.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Certainly access wise for car, public transport and ability access.

Exactly. The line was also dequadrified in the early 1980s and Tom Benson Way was built on a substantial chunk of the old track bed leading up to Lea Road area.

 

[Leyther]

Err. I think it was only three tracks as far as Treales.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Err. I think it was only three tracks as far as Treales.

Well I know that Wikipedia often gets it wrong - but this was the source

Preston and Wyre Joint Railway - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In the 1970s and early 1980s the Blackpool South branch, as it had become, was singled, and the quadruple track between Preston and Kirkham was reduced to double track.[reference]

Barry McLoughlin, Railways of the Fylde, Carnegie Publishing, Preston, 1992, ISBN 0 94878984 0, p. 61

So I will check that reference before I edit the wikipedia. However, looking at Salwick station clearly shows THREE tracks as you correctly state. So question is - how far did the 4 tracks go out of Preston station? I could swear there were 4 for a distance and have seen other references to the dequadrification to make room for Tom Benson Way.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Whilst on the subject of Tom Benson Way, has it achieved what it was supposed to do, road traffic wise?

 

[Leyther]

Well I know that Wikipedia often gets it wrong - but this was the source

Preston and Wyre Joint Railway - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Barry McLoughlin, Railways of the Fylde, Carnegie Publishing, Preston, 1992, ISBN 0 94878984 0, p. 61

So I will check that reference before I edit the wikipedia. However, looking at Salwick station clearly shows THREE tracks as you correctly state. So question is - how far did the 4 tracks go out of Preston station? I could swear there were 4 for a distance and have seen other references to the dequadrification to make room for Tom Benson Way.

I only recollect room for three tracks.
It was three tracks from fylde junction towards the fylde road/waterloo road bridges till the mid 1980's ish. The the Waterloo road Bridge was rebuilt for two tracks only, you can see the space on the bridge abutments where the third track used to be.
Then it was only out of preston on the slow lines only.
Prior to that you could leave Preston platform 3 on the fast then crossover around fylde road Waterloo road bridges.
There was a temporary station at tulketh road for a few weekends probably as they were removing the third track from fylde junction and putting in a new bridge.

 

[Rail Ranger]

Preston to Kirkham was 4 tracks all the way until 14th November 1965. Trains used to race each other on this section in steam days, particularly on Summer Saturdays. As you may know, there were watertroughs at Lea Road. Lea is pronounced "Leeah".

 

[chorleyjeff]

Well I know that Wikipedia often gets it wrong - but this was the source

Preston and Wyre Joint Railway - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Barry McLoughlin, Railways of the Fylde, Carnegie Publishing, Preston, 1992, ISBN 0 94878984 0, p. 61

So I will check that reference before I edit the wikipedia. However, looking at Salwick station clearly shows THREE tracks as you correctly state. So question is - how far did the 4 tracks go out of Preston station? I could swear there were 4 for a distance and have seen other references to the dequadrification to make room for Tom Benson Way.

Four tracks from the junction with WCML to Kirkham day then six to Blackpool in my day - the 1950s and early 1960s. And they were fully utilised on Summer Saturdays and Bank Holidays. From Preston four tracks to Blackpool but only two for the WCML to Carlisle.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Preston to Kirkham was 4 tracks all the way until 14th November 1965. Trains used to race each other on this section in steam days, particularly on Summer Saturdays. As you may know, there were watertroughs at Lea Road. Lea is pronounced "Leeah".

I went to Lea County Primary school 1964-1966 and lived on Dodney Drive and my father ( I was caddy) was a member of Ashton and Lea golf club. I now have a house in Woodplumpton when in the UK so I know the area well. Yes remember the water troughs well.

From Preston ——-only two for the WCML to Carlisle.

4 tracks to Barton until 1968.

 

[Kite159]

Hopefully most/all the trains to/from Blackpool will call at the new station, rather than just the DMU from South.

 

[Rail Ranger]

It was actually only four tracks from Oxheys to Barton & Broughton.

 

[LancasterRed]

Whilst on the subject of Tom Benson Way, has it achieved what it was supposed to do, road traffic wise?

Yes - and will divert traffic to or from CP as needed. If the station was on the sports arena this would do an even better job

 

[Leyther]

When the UCLan sports centre was built and the start of building the Cottam estates there was talk at the time of building a new station off Tom Benson Way.
Not surprising it never happened.

 

[chorleyjeff]

It was actually only four tracks from Oxheys to Barton & Broughton.

Were the additional lines loops for goods trains? I can't see the utility of short distances of four track passenger lines for such a short distance. Small stations between Preston and Lancaster such as Brock and Galgate were on two track sections so, I guess, four track sections were not needed to loop small number of stopping passenger trains.

 

[tspaul26]

There was mention made in a posting the compulsory purchase powers had been granted, should they have been needed. Were any such powers actually exercised?

I would be surprised if such were to be publicised unless a general vesting declaration is used which would need to be published.

Sometimes the actual acquisition of land will still be carried out using the compulsory powers even if the landowner has reached an agreement with the acquiring authority because there can be some collateral advantages, such as the ability to wipe third party rights off the title.