Reader’s letter: ‘When will Greater Anglia do something about the side of our railway station that time forgot?’
Greater Anglia runs our trains and our stations, writes Cllr Yvonne Estop. I am glad to read that they won the national Passenger Operator of the Year (Indie, Sept 16) because I agree their service is excellent, despite weather and line issues not in their control, and the wider serious issue of ticket pricing.
However, Greater Anglia is also responsible as leaseholder for all the station properties on the line.
At Bishop’s Stortford, their land includes the outside spaces, including public concourses, taxi rank, bike parking and car parks. This includes the London Road side of the station, which time forgot.
They have not invested in the public areas of the stations. And they barely maintain them – it is in their public areas where we see pretty awful littering.
But it goes deeper. Greater Anglia have laid down the requirements for new car parks in the Goodsyard development. They will take ownership of all new car parks, cycle parking and concourse changes carried out by developer Solum. They dictate the brief, yet Greater Anglia are not part of the developer client body or the planning steering group.
Greater Anglia Asset Management have completely neglected the London Road side of the station, where the corridor and steps provide tatty access, where there is a semi-derelict former ticket office and parking for ‘premier rate’ season tickets.
This side of the station is dark and less than safe, where people have been threatened.
It is the natural station entrance for half the town. There is no bike parking, just an easy-money contract with NCP. This ‘premier parking’ should clearly be moved inside their new car park built by Solum.
Greater Anglia’s train operating business plan does not include station capital investment, unless they can ride on the back of another developer.
In a rapidly growing town, excellent and safe access to the station is essential. There are logical links between regularly using trains and getting to the station by bus, bike or walking. This in turn justifies higher-density new housing. Greater Anglia should therefore be an active strategic partner for the growing town and its travel links.
I will work with other councillors to press Martin Beable, Greater Anglia’s new managing director, for improvements to the outside spaces of the station.
Greater Anglia needs to be a visible participant in the Goodsyard development, which they will benefit from. And they need to make an investment plan – it is high time the station public areas are dragged out of the 1950s.
Cllr Yvonne Estop, (Lab, Bishop’s Stortford Central), East Herts Council and Bishop’s Stortford Town Council
This was first published as a reader’s letter in the October 2 print edition of the Bishop’s Stortford Independent, on sale every Wednesday for £2.10. Alternatively, take out an annual digital subscription and read the same paper on your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop for less than 48p a week. Please click here. We value your support.
