Dawlish Railway Line Under Threat

The Railway line through Dawlish is one of the most picturesque in the Country, and also the most expensive stretch of line to maintain. This line was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel who changed the face of Britain with his viaducts, bridges and railway lines . It has been managed by various rail companies over the years, Great Western, London South West the line is now maintained by Network Rail who say it is in a better condition than it has been for years.

If the railway line is lost, the whole spit (promontory) at Dawlish Warren would be changed. If the experts are to be believed the South West is gradually subsiding and the sea is rising 2 milimetres per year. At present there are no plans to reroute this line inland.

Another concern we have in Dawlish is the termination of South West Trains Services West of Exeter. There is currently a regular two hourly weekday service (four per day)beyond Exeter from Waterloo/Salisbury to either Paignton or Plymouth.This service is hugely popular especially during the holiday season.

The reason being this is the only reasonable rail route between the South West and the South Coast via Salisbury and the route to and from London via the Andover, Basingstoke, Woking and Clapham Junction 'catchment' areas benefiting millions.

Users, particularly the elderly, disabled,and families do appreciate this through service who are often apprehensive about the uncertainty of changing trains and possibly platforms

Terminating this service could have a devastating effect on the holiday trade in the South West.

We know of no comprehensive user survey nor impact assessment that has been conducted prior to this decision.

A Snapshot of My Week

Monday October 13th
Meet with fellow Councillors at the Manor House Dawlish and inspect Plans prior to Planning meeting on Tuesday. During the afternoon I met with members of Teignbridge Development Control committee for a site visit to land east of Secmaton Lane Dawlish. This is only outline at present but ,has quite a lot of issues with highways, loss of trees,etc so a lot of discussion is needed.

Tuesday October 14th
Visited the R.D.and E hospital in Exeter for removal of a tooth so had to rest for the day and missed the Planning Meeting at Dawlish Town Council

Wednesday October 15th
Went with friends to the Alexandra Theatre to see 'The Other Boleyn Girl' All seats £3.00 plus tea. or coffee. Good value for money in these present times

Thursday October 16th
This was quite a full day. Had problems with my P.C so had a visit from Dave our IT expert from Teignbridge who soon had everything up and running again.

At 10am was the opening of the Skate Park at Sandy lane Dawlish. It has taken 10 years to get this up and running but thanks to a lot of hard work by the Youth Forum, Councillors and the people of Dawlish it has finally happened. Money came from the Town Council, Devon County Council, and the Peoples Lottery. Lots of young people were at the opening and keen to try the park.

Next stop was the Mount Pleasant Inn, which is our local pub at Dawlish Warren for the Luncheon Club again to meet with friends and locals for an enjoyable meal in pleasant surroundings with a wonderful view of Dawlish Warren. Themed coffee mornings are held once a month as well at the luncheon club with lots of opportunities to meet with people who perhaps live alone and look forward to a chat.

Friday October 17th
Visited the residents of Carhaix Way Dawlish they have asked for some seats to be situated in the area. Teignbridge have two available so we have chosen the sites where the residents can have a rest before continuing on their way up the hill.

Contacted Stagecoach in Exeter regarding the double decker buses which we now have passing through Dawlish Warren. Since the introduction of the bus pass lots of the residents have been enjoying free bus travel. But some residents think the buses too large for our narrow roads especially over Cockwood bridge.

The drivers do a wonderful job but some car drivers do not give way to these buses. As a result of this a spokesman for Stagecoach rang me to say the buses from January 2009 would not be going over Cockwood Bridge. They would come down the A379 turn into Warren Road and Mount Pleasant Road and turn around at Beach Road back up Mount Pleasant Road,Warren Road and rejoin the A379.

This will leave a lot of the residents of Hazelwood Park and Cofton with quite a walk to catch these buses. There is a lot of concern regarding this and having to carry shopping on their way home.

In the afternoon I attended along with fellow Councillors a Humanist Funeral Ceremony to celebrate the life of Cllr Brian Berman a Teignbridge District and Devon County Councillor who died suddenly while attending a meeting. Brian was a hard working councillor who will be missed

Saturday October 18th
Spent the day catching up with friends and family also found time to do some cooking.

Sunday October 19th
We attended our Church for morning service. In the afternoon it was the Dawlish Town Council Civic Service. This is attended by the Mayor, Councillors and invited guests . This year it clashed with the Chairman of Teignbridge District Council's Civic Service so the Dawlish members were unable to attend.