THE chairman of Middlewich's rail link campaign has welcomed proposals for a housing development next to the town's old station.

His announcement comes after the director of Martins Bus and Coach Sales in King Street, which is on the site of the former railway station, vowed to block access to the line in protest after Congleton Borough Council turned down his planning application to build houses there.

Dave Roberts, chairman of the town's rail campaign, this week revealed that his committee supports the plans for more housing - even though it has been given the thumbs down by councillors - because it would be a source of passengers for the railway.

Graham Martin, a director of the bus and coach company, says that the council's decision to turn down the new homes scheme was unreasonable and he will now bid to prevent the site ever being used again for a station.

It is the second time that plans for the site have been rejected after Congleton Borough Council threw out a previous plan to use the land as a trans-shipment depot.

Now, rail campaigner Dave Roberts, of Whitby Close, Middlewich, has defended the application for homes on the site and said: "On behalf of the Middlewich Rail Link Campaign Committee, I want to make it perfectly clear our position regarding Mr Martin's planning application for the old station yard site.

"We have never opposed the building of houses on this site. In fact, we would welcome development here as a source of passengers for the railway.

"Our only concern is that sufficient space is retained for the re-building of the station and for car parking. If car parking space is unavailable on the Martin's site we would be happy to put the car park elsewhere.

"We were delighted that the original outline plan for the site specifically excluded the 'Manchester bound' station platform.

"The council, however, seems to have thrown the baby out with the bath water by turning down this application.

"If the current site of the station remains unavailable, we will press for a new station on an alternative site."

He added: "It is ironic that this difficulty should arise at a time when Railtrack has just announced its intention of starting talks aimed at re-opening the line to passengers within the next ten years."

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