PLANS to create a new rail station at the White Rose Centre have moved a step forward after regional decision-makers agreed to pump a further £2.6m into supporting the scheme.
The proposed station, which has been talked about for years, would sit on the Leeds-Huddersfield line between Cottingley (Leeds) and Morley, and is expected to eventually cost almost £22m.
A West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) meeting agreed to move the scheme on to create a full business case, with a public consultation on the plans set to take place next year.
However, a report into the scheme hinted that should the station be built, this could leave the future of the current Cottingley Station – which sits 750 metres from the site – uncertain.
Park and ride scheme at ‘high risk’ of not meeting funding deadline
The document read: “The station forms part of an improved city transport system and is part of a wider transport investment and regeneration programme, the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme.
“We will be doing detailed work to understand the potential implications of this development for Cottingley station, because it is unlikely that two stations that are so close together can be fully sustained.
“Following this assessment we will undertake additional substantial consultation with local people in 2020 to understand their needs and develop a scheme that best meets their requirements.
“We will also explore a range of options to ensure people in Cottingley and neighbouring areas have the access they need to the rail network and other transport links, including the potential for an on-demand bus service for the community.”
The document states the plans will include station platforms with access via lifts and staircases, a drop off/pick-up area with a taxi rank; as well as cycle storage and waiting shelters.
Coun Kim Groves, chair of WYCA’s transport committee, told a meeting of the group’s investment committee: “For us in the south of the city, if it does go ahead and we get private investment, there will be a big investment on transport and connecting people in south Leeds.
“I think it goes wider than just the communities being mentioned, but Cottingley is significant, and it is a significant investment for them.
“This is a really big transformation if this goes ahead.”
Morley North councillor Robert Finnigan said he would be relieved once the scheme was to start, adding: “Morley folk will tell you that the White Rose Centre should have been built with a station 20-odd years ago when it first opened, and it has taken so many years.
“This is a good news story – anything that might reduce traffic in Morley is a good thing – it should take the stress and the strain off local residents.
“In principle, we are comfortable with it.”
He added, however, that work still needed to be done on the design, and that council’s highways department should work hard to make sure that the site isn’t used as a park and ride once it is built.
