Lib Dems Force Network Rail To Back Down On Ugly Fence At Teddington Station (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Lib Dems Force Network Rail To Back Down On Ugly Fence At Teddington Station

June 25, 2010 5:10 PM

Cllr Stephen Knight inspects the offending fence

• [Jun 25] VINCE Cable took time off today from his national responsibilities to join Martin Elengorn and the Teddington Society in a meeting on site with Network Rail bosses about the ugly green fence they installed in Station Road, Teddington, replacing the attractive old blue railings.

The likely outcome is that, in the stretch between the station and the southern pedestrian footbridge, a more attractive blue railing will be put up similar in design to that backing the wooded area behind The Cedars. The question of reopening the gate by the cycle racks will also be investigated. The remaining new railings south of the footbridge will have the angled barbed wire section removed.

Network Rail also undertook to improve the sagging mesh fencing round the Railway Passage sub station and to find out from South West Trains what exactly the £250,000 to be spent on the main station footbridge will include.

Comments Martin Elengorn: "It took the presence of a Cabinet Minister to persuade Network Rail to make concessions and they are still reluctant to concede the principle of consulting the Council on works they carry out. The money they have awarded their senior bosses in bonuses would pay for much of what needs doing at our stations.

The meeting was organised by Dr Cable's constituency office when, after the Election, the Council refused my request that they organise it. They were unwilling to do so as they did not have the power to require Network Rail to remove the new fence. When I pointed out that the meeting would also deal with other station matters they agreed to send an officer. Later it was indicated that Cllr Morris would try to attend which she did."

• [Jul 02] UPDATE: Network Rail have written to Vince Cable confirming that the chain link fencing along Station Road will be replaced with 5' railings, the barbed wire on the rest of the chain link fence will go, the fence round the substation will be repaired and hawthorn saplings will be planted along the fences. Vince is continuing to press Network rail and South West Rains to refurbish the two footbridges

Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats: