A representative of the consultants studying the planned closure of the Offord level crossing visited the Buckden parish Council meeting on Tuesday 8th July to explain the process. Read about what he said below:
The plan is to replace both the road level crossing and the footpath crossing with bridges. The road level crossing will be away from the current location as there is insufficient room to fit a bridge in at that point. The solution will start east of the current river crossing by the mill, and so the road there will remain. The proposed design will be on display and open for public consultation at Offord Village Hall on Saturday 19th July from 11am to 3pm, and on Thursday 24th July from 4pm to 8pm.
The process is that this round of initial public consultation will run until the end of August. After that, a more detailed design will be prepared and a second round of public consultation will take place in the winter of 2014. A final design will then be prepared and it is likely that the entire scheme, which covers the closure of all the level crossings between Kings Cross and Doncaster will go to a Public Enquiry. The findings of the Public Enquiry will inform the legal Transport and Works Act Order to proceed with the scheme which will be made by the Secretary of State for Transport.
The consultants are very aware of the concerns in Buckden and the Offords about severing the communities. They are also aware that there is concern that any solution should not encourage substantially more traffic or larger vehicles than at present.