Council agrees to buy land for new station

Leader of the council Martin Tett took the decision to complete the purchase of the land with funds that the council is using to meet the contribution to the Department of Transport in relation to the scheme.

A report to the council said it was worth purchasing the land to ‘protect against the possibility of the land value increasing between the current time and the time at which the land is required for the development of the rail station’.

Chris Wright from the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Rail Action Group said: “We have been campaigning for the line to be re-opened since 1986 and are delighted this has happened even though it is a new station. Our group’s role now is monitoring the progress of the scheme and ensuring there are no more hiccups.

“We will also be looking to start up a users group in a few years to represent people who commute on the railway.”

The report also said ‘when future development schemes in Winslow come forward, the council will be well placed to potentially utilise the existing landholdings for lucrative uses – such as development of a new science park or using existing landholdings for school expansion to support the growing population’.