Newbury MP Laura Farris continues Thatcham railway bridge discussions

Newbury MP Laura Farris has met with stakeholders to discuss a bridge in Thatcham.

The desire for a bridge over the railway line has been the talk of the town for decades.

But Thatcham still hasn’t seen it.

The introduction of a railway bridge at Thatcham has been attempted before and gained traction in 1982 and 2022.

In 2015, Network Rail and West Berkshire Council told Newburytoday that a bridge would cost in excess of £20m and would need to be funded by central Government or by a developer.

Since then, a planning application has come forward, from The Colthrop Village Consortium for 950 homes south of the railway line and Kennet and Avon Canal, including a railway bridge.

The developer has been pushing these plans to be included in the West Berkshire Local Plan for housing in the district.

In 2018, West Berkshire Council said it was “exploring the possibility of a bridge” as a part of its transport plan and in 2021 Network Rail said it supported the 950-home plan if it included the bridge.

However, one of the obstacles in securing an appropriate location for a bridge has – historically – been flood risks in the area.

Last week Mrs Farris hosted a meeting with representatives from Network Rail, West Berkshire Council, Great Western Railway (GWR) and Greenham Trust to further discuss.

She said the objective of the meeting was to put together a joint proposal for submission to the Department for Transport for a new bridge over the railway line.

“Most people are aware that this is not a straightforward project,” she said.

“But given the scale of the issue of wait times at the level crossing, it is essential that a solution is put forward for residents in Thatcham.

“Ahead of this meeting, I launched a residents’ survey on my website in order to hear constituents’ views on waiting times at the level crossing and the proposal for a bridge over the railway line in Thatcham.

“I received over 2,600 responses, with 96% supporting the proposal for a bridge to be built.”

She added: “I am very grateful to those that attended the meeting and all the excellent ideas suggested on the possible location, construction cost and environmental issues.

“Along with relevant stakeholders, I will now prepare and submit our written proposal to the Department for Transport for their consideration.”