SCC adds 300k support for step free access to station

Steps

Surrey County Council supports step free access to Ash Vale station

On Tuesday 26 October 2021 the Surrey County Council (SCC) Cabinet meeting agreed that it is committed to supporting step-free access to Ash Vale Station. Cllr Matt Furniss (Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure) proposed the funding as part of the first phase of the Surrey Infrastructure Plan. This has now set aside a £300,000 funding contribution, which is aimed at attracting a further £5M in investment from Network Rail.

Granting step-free access to the station will permit access to residents who are currently unable to reach the platform as well as help promote more sustainable forms of transport. Ash Parish News contacted Cllr Matt Furniss to ask if Network Rail has committed their funding he said;

We have announced our commitment but we are now waiting on Network Rail“.

Dan McHugh’s campaign

The campaign for step-free access to the station has been championed by local resident, Dan McHugh. He created the online Petition, now with almost 2,700 signatures. Mr McHugh has done a fantastic job promoting the need for improvements.

In a recent social media post, Mr McHugh said;

I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who signed and supported my Petition for this. And huge thanks to Michael Gove and our Local Councillors for supporting.

Surrey infrastructure plan phase 1 scheme

An extract from the Surrey County Council plan has been provided below. The full plan as discussed at the Cabinet can be found here.

Ash Vale Station access: Providing a funding contribution of £300,000 will attract over £5m investment from Network Rail to deliver a fully accessible station at Ash Vale. The station is not currently fully accessible for all passengers as requires the use of a staircase. This scheme will enable improved access to the station and its platforms. A fully accessible railway station aligns with the Government’s Inclusive transport Strategy and SCC priorities.

There were no objections to the phase 1 scheme at the cabinet meeting and was subsequently approved.

Show your support

It’s still not too late to show your support for the campaign, sign the online petition today:

https://www.change.org/p/to-grant-step-free-access-for-all-at-ash-vale-station.

Join the Conversation

Discover more from Ash Parish News

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Scroll to Top