Time running out to object to Airtrack in Egham

The council agenda states the although the council is in support of the scheme in principal, it was not happy with the Environmental Impact Assessment submitted with the application, nor the fact that although the adverse impact to level crossings in the borough has been identified as severe - with barrier down times of up to 38 minutes in an hour - no alleviation measures have been proposed.

Committee chairman, Councillor Patrick Roberts (Conservative) said the council's stance on Airtrack hadn't changed. He said it recognised the positive benefits of the scheme but the huge negative for Runnymede and particularly Egham, is that it already has three of Southern England's busiest level crossings.

He added: "They already have significant downtimes which would get worse - Airtrack, Surrey County Council and Runnymede Council all recognise that this is unacceptable.

"The meeting is our chance to provide a formal response to the Transport & Works Act application to submit to the planning inspectorate.

"There is quite a lot of missing information in the Environmental Impact Assessment. One of the areas of poorest air quality in the borough is the Pooley Green level crossing, where you have cars going over the M25, trains going through and cars going over, or sat waiting for trains. So air quality there is likely to get worse.

"But while environmental impact is important, it's fair to say that most residents and businesses are more concerned that it will effectively cut one side of Egham off from the other. There is some encouragement though in that research into solutions has been going on."

A previous BAA consultation document stated that a bridge or tunnel over one or more of the level crossings was neither 'feasible or justifiable' however in this more recent agenda although the idea of a bridge has been discounted at Pooley Green level crossing, the option for an underpass has now been considered feasible, but would require the loss of one residential property.

"It now becomes a financial issue," added Mr Roberts, "Who is going to pay for it? That will be be the next round of the process - this is still part three or four in a longer running process."

The total cost of the Airtrack scheme has been estimated at £673million, without considering the added cost of building an underpass. Mr Roberts said it was likely to go to a public inquiry by the end of 2010.

This week is also the last chance for residents of the town and surrounding areas who might be affected by the new service to lodge their own objections with the Government before the deadline on this Friday, September 18.

A website was launched in July by Egham Chamber of Commerce where concerned residents good read about the proposals and print off their own letters of objection. Since the launch the site has had more than 2,000 unique visitors, of which more than 1,000 have downloaded the templates for objection letters.

To visit the site and download a letter for objection, visit www.egham-airtrack.co.uk

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