LETTER: Railway station plans are fantasy

In your report on the exhibition by Liberty (not Horsham District Council who the Inspector directed to consult the public after finding their plan ‘not sound’) you quote a ‘spokesperson for Liberty’ (not HDC) saying ‘We believe there is a good case for opening a new railway station with up to 600 parking spaces’. Later you report ‘Liberty has announced there may be the possibility of a new railway station known as Park Way Station’.

Surely HDC should be making these announcements not an American property company? As I understand it Network Rail are not likely to approve a station north of the A264 because of the disruption it will cause for schedules to London on this already overburdened line.

Even if there were a station how on earth are 600 spaces enough for their proposed ‘park and ride station’? If Littlehaven station was to be downgraded ( after expenditure by Network Rail of over £3million on platform extensions) with no fast trains stopping the majority that use the station will have to drive over the Rusper roundabout and compete for those 600 spaces with the nearly 3,000 houses they wish to build. The roads around the Rusper roundabout are clogged enough with average journey times taking some 20 minutes to join the A264 at peak times.

Surely this proposed station is more fantasy than reality.

Neil Jones

Tennyson Close, Horsham