Attention all,

Remember this update warning I posted on the petition about the Four Great Highways threat on the East side of Llangollen bridge: https://www.change.org/p/support-and-fund-railway-links-to-llangollen-and-corwen-to-connect-them-to-ruabon-and-bala/u/31536729 The threat has unfortunately increased because whiles looking at the latest information on the Four Great Highways Project, I noticed that the coloured plans for the proposed gardens, stairs, steps, and paths for the riverside walkway and Lower Dee Mill areas, appear to still totally block the old railway route and make no 'passive provision' for a future railway. More details can be found here in this link: file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/four-great-highways-general-arrangement-plans-november-2023.pdf

All this is very serious and it needs countering as much as possible, including counting support of the local MP, to ensure that at least a 6 meter wide strip of land at railway trackbed level immediately along the back of the riverside wall is kept clear through the full length of the Project's footprint to allow for the future reinstatement of a single track mainline railway reinstatement from Llangollen to Ruabon. There also needs to be enough land to build a carriage siding extension of Llangollen Railway, East of the present buffer stops alongside the river as far as the Ponsonby Arms, within the railway's Leased land footprint.

Llangollen to Ruabon was surveyed in the year 1999, 2006 and 2014. Some surveying maps and photographs of the route can be see here on the ERTA blogspot page: https://ertarailvolunteer.blogspot.com/2023/07/llangollen-four-great-highways-threat.html?spref=fb&fbclid=IwAR12krdKFMrqvK8slud3-bjFUV9HL12SHUrcqnqb1uK6fLkTsLNEM4nKIqA The Ruabon to Llangollen route is also among the Welsh government's future phase 2 railway reinstatements which are scheduled to take place between 2025 and 2035, as revealed in the newspaper article seen in this other petition update: https://www.change.org/p/mark-drakeford-wrexham-council-must-protect-the-track-bed-of-the-former-ruabon-to-llangollen-railway/u/29196887  

Restoring the Llangollen Railway over the 5 mile disused track bed Eastwards towards Trevor, for serving the nearby Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site visitor attraction, and onwards through back to the main line in Ruabon, and then eventually Westwards from Corwen towards Bala would greatly secure the long-term future and viability of the existing Llangollen Railway as well as significantly enhancing public transport into all of the local areas along the route in the Dee Valley and Vale of Edyrnion, re-connecting all the towns and villages giving local people and new housing developments much better access to the outside world, jobs, education, and also helping to bring in more tourists than possible by road to further boost the local economy. Therefore, the whole route, including the section on the Lower Dee Mill Park site needs to be safeguarded from development blockages to enable the future mainline reconnection.

Taking into consideration the UK Government's current "Restoring Your Railway" initiative in which they are seriously evaluating and supporting a 'Rolling Back Beeching" policy nationally as part of their strategy for providing people with an alternative to car travel in response to the deepening Worldwide Climate Change Crisis, it would be extremely negative to public perception if The Four Great Highways Project Team were to unfortunately appear to not be sharing an aligned Regional vision and outward thinking policy to help form part of the bigger National future picture. The outside world and future transport is now post Pandemic changing/having to change rapidly due to the Climate Change issue and it would be a travesty if the opportunity to reconnect Llangollen directly to the mainline rail network were to be lost forever at such a late date just before such connection is required again. Therefore, this is yet another reason why the whole route, including the section on the Lower Dee Mill Park needs to be safeguarded from encroachment by modern developments and other possible blight.

Recently whilst browsing on their website (here's the link https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/community-and-living/community-development/levelling-up-fund/four-great-highways/four-great-highways.aspx), they say they are now working to consider the responses received before the final designs are agreed for the project. 

Please notify this threat immediately to all your MPs and the Welsh Assembly Government to get them to focus on rail re-openings like the Ruabon-Llangollen route, and express your concerns to the Four Great Highways project managers by emailing them at this e-mail address: fourgreathighways@denbighshire.gov.uk