Helioslough: "All rival railfreight sites have major flaws" (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Helioslough: "All rival railfreight sites have major flaws"

5:18pm Monday 14th December 2009 in News By Alex Lewis

COLNEBROOK, the main rival site to Park Street for a railfreight depot has serious disadvantages, planning consultant Richard Tilley has said under re-examination.

A proposal to build a railfreight terminal on the site near Slough was turned down in 2002 afer a long planning battle, but the site's owners are now promoting a new scheme, which the council argues provided a clear alternative to the Helioslough project.

Under cross-examination, Mr Tilley was accused of forgetting that the new scheme was likely to be approved as it was much smaller, but prompted by Mr Kingston, he stressed the area's importance in providing an open gap between Slough and London.

Mr Kingston also ensured the problems of alternative sites in Berkshire and Essex were reiterated in his re-examination of Mr Tilley.

The barristers clashed when Mr Kingston cunningly seized on an earlier exchange to buttress the credibility of Mr Tilley's alternative sites study.

Strife's barrister Paul Stinchcombe had asked whether Mr Tilley had ever dealt with a larger proposed Green Belt development, learning he had acted on one in Yorkshire.

Mr Kingston, in re-examination, ensured the inspector was aware that this application had been approved, and had used a similar sites study.

Mr Reed tried to object that these were new issues, not arising from the earlier cross-examination, but Mr Kingston , who compared Mr Stinchcombe's tactics to a failed roulette bet, was able to press his point home.

Mr Tilley's re-examination complete, the hearing has adjourned to 9.30am tomorrow, when Mr Kingston will call his second witness.