Avon Valley Heritage Railway were on site in Portishead during August removing some of the old bullhead track which North Somerset Council had agreed to donate to them. All the old track needs to be replaced to adhere to new railway standards, but is still used on heritage railways. Their works were undertaken abiding to the strict conditions of the DCO, such as:

• The site had been kept clear of vegetation as part of our Reptile Mitigation Strategy, so reptiles were not a hinderance during the removals;
• The consistent cutting of the vegetation to ground level over the summer also meant that there was no risk of disturbing nesting birds; and
• The Great Crested Newt licence granted meant heavy machinery could be brought on to lift and remove the track.

The substantial amount of ecology works that were carried out over the past 12-18 months enabled these works to happen successfully. Avon Valley Railway are delighted with what they’ve retrieved, and will use the track mainly in their yard at Bitton but also for renewals.

The press release issued by North Somerset Council can be viewed here

North Somerset Council remains committed to reopening the Portishead to Bristol rail line, despite news that the government have cancelled the Restoring Your Railway programme. Rail schemes within the programme will now be subject to review by the Secretary of State for Transport.

The Portishead to Bristol rail line is one of the Department for Transport’s Restoring Your Railway projects and is part of the MetroWest programme.

We remain absolutely committed to reopening the line and Network Rail were shortly due to submit the Full Business Case to the Department for Transport. Full Business Case approval is the final step needed before we can get spades in the ground for construction

More information is available here 

At North Somerset’s Full Council meeting held in January, Members decided on proposals for the Full Business Case currently being developed. The proposals give Councillor Mike Bell, Leader of the Council and Executive Member for Major Infrastructure Projects, authority to finalise the completed case on behalf of North Somerset Council, ready for its submission to the Department for Transport (DfT). The full press release is available here

The surveys for the detailed design – otherwise known as Network Rail’s GRIP stage 5 – are coming to an end. The project team continue to assist the contractors with this work stream, and we’d like to thank all those landowners and tenants who have allowed the teams access for noise surveys, ground investigations works, soil sampling, and other necessary works.

Following the successful completion of the summer ecological enabling works, maintenance and monitoring of the works continue over the winter to ensure the disused line remains suitable for construction. We are also looking to plant in Leigh Woods some more whitebeam trees grown by Bristol Botanicals and Paignton Zoo. The trees that were planted last year continue to do well so our friends at Forestry England have agreed to plant some more on their land for us.

A significant number of the ecology enabling works are now coming to an end for this season, with the next phase now being planned for. The works have been very successful, and those completed so far include:

• Multiple ecological licence applications have been granted and works carried out under their respective licence conditions to protect Great Crested Newts, badgers, and the propagation of Bristol Rock Cress​
• Tree planting on the A369 Portbury Hundred to provide an alternative bat corridor has been completed and a maintenance plan is in place to ensure they are fed and watered, which will continue over the coming months​
• 1,200 metres of reptile fencing has been installed at multiple locations along the disused line and in the Ecology Park at Portishead​
• Reptile trapping is now complete with ecologists visiting the 1,000+ reptile mats daily over the summer and safely moving them to the two translocation sites away from the line​
• Reptile displacement also has to occur in certain locations which involves gradually reducing the length of the vegetation to encourage them away from the line to more suitable habitat​s
• Several bird and bat boxes have been installed to provide alternative nesting locations and roosts whilst work is underway
• The annual harvesting of whitebeam fruits from the Avon Gorge occurred in October and are being propagated at Bristol Botanicals, ready to plant during construction. This year the focus was on the rarest variety the sorbus avonensis. Over 100 whitebeams have already been planted in Leigh Woods with the help of Forestry England and are thriving.

Detailed design – otherwise known as Network Rail’s GRIP stage 5 – has progressed significantly. The project team continue to assist the contractors with this work stream, and we’d like to thank all those landowners and tenants who have allowed the teams access for noise surveys, ground investigations works, soil sampling, and other necessary works.

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced consent for the Portishead Branch Line on Monday 14th November 2022. Over the next 18 months the project will complete its detailed design, undertake ecology enabling works and, finally, submit its Full Business Case to funding decision makers (the Department for Transport, the Combined Authority and North Somerset Council).

• The decision letter and related documents can be read on PINS webpage

North Somerset Council remains committed to reopening the Portishead to Bristol rail line, despite news that the government have cancelled the Restoring Your Railway programme. Rail schemes within the programme will now be subject to review by the Secretary of State for Transport.

The Portishead to Bristol rail line is one of the Department for Transport’s Restoring Your Railway projects and is part of the MetroWest programme.

We remain absolutely committed to reopening the line and Network Rail were shortly due to submit the Full Business Case to the Department for Transport. Full Business Case approval is the final step needed before we can get spades in the ground for construction

More information is available here 

The Development Consent Order that granted planning consent on the 14th November 2022 also includes permission to start the compulsory purchase of land needed to build the rail line.

As of the week commencing 12th December 2022 we’re sending letters to residents in the local area with information to update them on this process and the next steps. Site notices about the Development Consent Order will also be placed at locations close to the future railway line.

In most cases, these letters are for information only. We are already in conversations with impacted landowners and are working towards bringing the Portishead rail line forward with them.

The complete set of Development Consent Order documents will be available to view at Portishead Library, Pill Resource Centre and Weston-super-Mare library until the end of January 2023. They are also available online at MetroWest Phase 1 document library.

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced consent for the project on Monday 14th November 2022.

The Development Consent Order (DCO) includes planning consent, environmental consent and the compulsory acquisition of land and is required before nationally significant infrastructure projects can be built. The achievement of this major milestone means the project can now move forward towards the delivery phase.

Over the next 18 months the project will complete its detailed design, undertake ecology enabling works and, finally, submit its Full Business Case to funding decision makers (the Department for Transport, the Combined Authority and North Somerset Council).

• Read North Somerset Council’s Press release: Portishead to Bristol train line gets big boost from planning consent
• Read the West of England Combined Authority’s press release: Full steam ahead: Portishead to Bristol train line gets major boost after planning approval
• MetroWest Phase 1 PINS webpage

Following the additional funding commitments from the Combined Authority, North Somerset Council, and Department for Transport – all of which closes the remaining funding gap – a response was sent to the DfT’s ‘minded to’ letter.

This included an updated Funding Statement which sets out in detail the revised estimated cost of the scheme, and details confirming that the funding needed for delivery has been secured.

The updated Funding Statement also addresses all the points set out in the letter of 19th April 2022.

The expectation is that the DCO decision can now be made no later than 14th November 2022.

• Read the response to the ‘minded to’ letter

The Department for Transport have committed an additional £15.5m to deliver the scheme. This is in addition to £10m committed by North Somerset Council, and another £10m committed by the West of England Combined Authority, which closes the remaining funding gap. The gap was the result of approval of the scheme’s Development Consent Order (DCO) costing more than anticipated and unprecedented global increases to the cost of energy, labour and construction materials. For further information see North Somerset Council’s press release about the additional funding and the Combined Authority’s press release about the additional funding.

North Somerset Council has been working closely with the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) and the Department for Transport (DfT) for additional funding to progress the scheme. Projected capital costs of the scheme have risen to £152m following delays to approval of the scheme’s DCO and unprecedented global increases to the cost of energy, labour and construction materials. Both the council and WECA are seeking to commit an additional £10m to the project to bridge the funding shortfall and deliver the scheme, and are asking the DfT to close the remaining £15.5m funding gap.

North Somerset Council’s press release can be read here.

A decision on the DCO was due on the 19th April 2022.

The Secretary of State announced a further delay to consent for construction of MetroWest Phase 1. For further information, please refer to the written statement laid out in Parliament.

North Somerset Council issued a press release setting out their views on the decision on the 19^th April 2022.

As of January 14^th 2022, the MetroWest Phase 1 project is still awaiting a decision on the Development Consent Order (DCO) by the Department for Transport (DfT).

The DCO application was submitted in November 2019. The process included an examination in public which took six months and ended in April 2021. The decision had been expected in October 2021 but it was confirmed then that the Secretary of State would require up to a further 6 months to make the decision.

The project team are continuing to press for a decision to be made as soon as possible.

On October 20^th 2021, a Written Ministerial Statement was presented in the House of Commons stating that the deadline for the DCO decision is to be extended to 19 April 2022 (an extension of 6 months) to allow further consideration of environmental matters.

• Read the full speech here

Parts of the historic Portishead railway line are to be recycled and reused as part of an exciting project with the Avon Valley Railway.

The historic railway assets, some of which date back to the 1920s, are not needed by the MetroWest Phase 1 project which is set to deliver a new £116m railway line between Portishead and Bristol.

At North Somerset Council’s meeting on the 19th July, councillors agreed that parts of the disused Portishead line could be used to assist the Avon Valley Railway Heritage Trust.

The line allows visitors to experience a bygone age of steam and heritage trains along the old Midland Railway branch line which ran between Mangotsfield and Bath. The current three-mile heritage railway line runs between Oldland and Avon Riverside and needs upgrading and improving in some areas.

• Full press release: Parts of historic Portishead railway line to be recycled

The DCO Examination period began on Tuesday 6th October 2020 and lasted 6 months, closing on 19th April 2021.

It began with two preliminary hearings followed by a number of open floor and issue specific hearings. Many different parties were engaged in the Examination process raising their issues and concerns, which the Examiners then addressed to the project team. The process resulted in a significant number of written questions to the project team as well as stakeholders, partners and other bodies and individuals. A series of formal deadlines were set, and it proved to be a very intense period for the project.

Following the Examination’s closure, there is a period of three months for the Examining Authority to write its report and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State, the deadline for this being the 19th July 2021. The Secretary of State will then have three months in which to make a decision.

• View the final DCO Examination documents on our document store
• Further details on the project and the DCO process on the PINS website

Network Rail are leading on the preparations to appoint the contractors who will carry out the vast amount of works required. The tendering process is multi-staged and begins with the pre-qualification questionnaire stage beginning in May/June 2021. This will be followed by the Invitation To Tender stage later on in the year.

• More information on the tendering process is available from Network Rail