Signal box could make way for road widening

ROAD congestion problems prevailed over listed building status when Network Rail presented its plans to ease congestion in Billingshurst last week.

At a meeting of Billingshurst Parish council on Wednesday March 7 Network Rail suggested relocating a grade two listed signalling box to the Blue Bell Railway in East Sussex, in order to widen the road for traffic.

The proposed reconstruction involves removing one leg of the footbridge and replacing the signalling box with modern light signalling which would mean more trains could use the line too.

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It is important to relocate the building following English Heritage guidance and the solution could be to re-home it at the Bluebell Railway based at Sheffield Park, a popular tourist attraction that preserves the posterity of its steam locomotives and station equipment.

Jon Elliot, senior sponsor at Network Rail, and Jerry Martin, the company’s project programme manager pointed out that the only way to double the carriageway was with the removal of the signal box and foot bridge.

A ‘lengthy consultation’ would be held before any work began, but the target was to get permission in October 2013, and be finished in December.

Catherine Jeater, design and conservation officer at Horsham District Council, sent a statement explaining that both the listed buildings had historic and group value and ‘to remove them takes them out of the context that we experience them in’.

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The officer explained that anyone wishing to relocate a listed building would ‘have to demonstrate that this is the last option and the success of the application relies on a method statement of removal to insure the box is not damaged’.

She said: “Both English Heritage and I will be supportive of the box staying within a railway context.”

Doug Rands, vice chairman, said that the most important issue was the easing of road congestion.

He said: “As a life-long resident I can remember standing on that bridge as the steam train blew up my trousers and I can honestly say that I think that this is the best improvement plans I have seen.

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“It would be a shame for it to go to another village but for it to go to some where like Bluebell Railway it would be like it was going home.”

The councillors hummed in agreement to this statement and councillor Paul Leaney agreed the heritage steam railway would be an appropriate spot as ‘it will be looked after and loved’.