Issue - meetings

The Corporate Director of Place to present a report which provides an update on progress towards a proposed new railway station in Haxby, and seeks approval to add the Haxby Station project to the council’s capital programme and to acquire the freehold interest of a plot of land in Haxby which will assist in delivery of the project.  

Resolved:  (i)      That the progress made to date concerning a potential new rail station at Haxby be noted.

                   (ii)      That the addition of the Department for Transport grant of £400k to progress the Haxby Station project be approved, that the scheme be included in the Capital Programme 2021/22 and that authority be delegated to the Director of Place (in consultation with the Director of Governance or her delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to enter into the resulting agreement.

                   (iii)     That approval be given to acquire the freehold interest comprising 6.8 acres of land within the area of Haxby, as detailed in exempt Annex A, and to establish a budget of £250k to fund the purchase and associated acquisition costs.

                   (iv)    That approval be given to vire £250k from the Highways budget to fund the land purchase.

                   (v)     That authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place, in consultation with the Executive Member for Transport, to take such steps as are necessary to complete the purchase once all due diligence has been satisfactorily conducted on the land.

Reason:     To afford City of York Council the best opportunity to progress this project and present the strongest case possible to Central Government (the Department for Transport and the Treasury) for their anticipated grant of funding to enable the full delivery of a new rail station at Haxby.

The Director of Environment, Transport & Planning presented a report which provided an update on progress towards a proposed new railway station in Haxby, and sought approval to add the Haxby Station project to the council’s capital programme and to acquire the freehold interest of a plot of land in Haxby to assist in delivery of the project.

A funding bid for a 75% contribution towards the new station had been submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) in June 2020, based on an assumption that it would be located on a site near the previous station (Site 1).  An alternative location (Site 2) had now been identified which had some advantages over Site 1. The precise location of Site 2 was identified in exempt Annex A, as discussions on its potential purchase were still ongoing.

At the request of the DfT, an appraisal of the two sites had been undertaken by the council and Network Rail (NwR).  A report would be brought to Executive on 14 October to seek a formal instruction to NwR on which site to progress.   In the meantime, it was recommended that the purchase of the Site 2 land be progressed, as it could be utilised for other purposes or sold even if not selected as the station site.

Members welcomed the report and the progress made towards providing a faster, more sustainable travel route to Haxby.

Resolved:  (i)      That the progress made to date concerning a potential new rail station at Haxby be noted.

                   (ii)      That the addition of the Department for Transport grant of £400k to progress the Haxby Station project be approved, that the scheme be included in the Capital Programme 2021/22 and that authority be delegated to the Director of Place (in consultation with the Director of Governance or her delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to enter into the resulting agreement.

                   (iii)     That approval be given to acquire the freehold interest comprising 6.8 acres of land within the area of Haxby, as detailed in exempt Annex A, and to establish a budget of £250k to fund the purchase and associated acquisition costs.

                   (iv)    That approval be given to vire £250k from the Highways budget to fund the land purchase.

                   (v)     That authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place, in consultation with the Executive Member for Transport, to take such steps as are necessary to complete the purchase once all due diligence has been satisfactorily conducted on the land.

Reason:     To afford City of York Council the best opportunity to progress this project and present the strongest case possible to Central Government (the Department for Transport and the Treasury) for their anticipated grant of funding to enable the full delivery of a new rail station at Haxby.