'Will they compulsorily purchase our track to create Uckfield to Lewes Greenway?' ask Isfield residents

Wealden District Council states that a cycle-pedestrian path would not compromise the rebuilding of a viable railway line.

But supporters believe that would render its construction and operation impossible.

Another complication thrown into the mix is the fact that several residents, particularly in the Isfield area, bid for and won ownership of pieces of the line.

After reading the piece about the link in the Express two weeks ago, Michael Upton from Isfield got in touch.

He wonders whether Wealden District Council plans to compulsorily purchase the stretches of the track he and several neighbours own?

And if so, he points out, should they not have contacted the owners before making a statement about creating a Greenway?

Brian Hart, founder of BML2 said: "We have the Land Registry documents for numerous titles for sections between Tunbridge Wells and Lewes and there are covenants imposed.

"At Isfield it says the land cannot be disposed of without the consent of the British Railway Board (Now GBR) - the restriction here remains in force until 2073.

"A Transport and Works Act order is the process for reinstating the railway which the Government would obtain with no difficulty giving them powers to repurchase whatever land is necessary. It seems to me the Lib Dems are trying to have it both ways - the Greenway as proposed and the railway are quite incompatible."

Former Lewes District councillor and organiser of the Lewes Rail User Group Vic Ient added: "There is wide ranging support for the reopening of this line.

"With local communities pulling together we could get the Government to support this important sustainable railway link. Let's move on and look to the future.

"Community action can result in success if we work together. In other parts of the country lines have been opened by the community showing their support."

He cites examples such as six miles of track, the Crosskeys to Newport service, reopening in South Wales after 40 yearsof campaigning. There was also a 30 mile section of the former Waverley Route in the Scottish borders and the Dartmoor Line which reopened in 2021.

He went on: "If the communities in these areas can do it, why can't we do it in Sussex?

"We are only talking about seven miles of track connecting to an existing railway track near Eridge to allow for a connection into Tunbridge Wells."

And he added: "Transport for the South East supported the reopening of the line in the Strategic Infrastructure Plan (SIP.) This strategy document has been out for consultation with the closing date of Friday, March 7.

Meanwhile a Wealden spokesperson said: "At present, we are simply looking at the feasibility of opening up part of the route as a greenway.

"That work is looking at potential options and will involvefull liaison with landowners.

"The track bed and adjacent land has been safeguarded for potential reopening of the line for very many years.

"This is reflected in long-adopted planning policies. It is not just a Wealden matter, but crosses into Lewes (in ‘saved’ Policies T4 of the Lewes District Local Plan 2003 and TR17 of the Wealden District Local Plan 1998.)"

'One of the most beautiful lost lines'

The Wealden Line, which ran from Tunbridge Wells to Lewes through Crowborough, Uckfield and Isfield has been named as one of Britain’s 'most beautiful lost lines.'

The list was compiled by The Daily Telegraph and published on the 60th anniversary of the second of two reports written by the former chairman of British Rail, Dr Richard Beeching.

As a result of the report, more than 4,000 route miles were removed from the system, in an intervention that became known as the "Beeching Axe".

However Beeching was not responsible for the closure of the Uckfield to Lewes stretch of the line. Supporters of its reinstatement say it was closed on May 4, 1969 in order to make way for the Lewes Relief Road and Phoenix Causeway

The Telegraph article chose ten of "the most beautiful lines" that were lost following Dr Beeching's network reforms and includes the Uckfield to Lewes stretch of the former rail link among them.

The Telegraph wrote of the Wealden line, which first opened in October 1858: “In its 1930s heyday, this 25-mile route between Tunbridge Wells and Lewes was popular with tourists heading for the East Sussex coast - taking its name from the hills of the Weald through which it passed.

"But falling passenger numbers and crumbling infrastructure meant that a decision was needed: a cash injection to help fix, for example, the rickety Lewes Viaduct, or closure.

"In the end, there was a fudge. The lower third of the line, up to Uckfield, became past tense in 1969. The upper third, Eridge-Tunbridge Wells, clung on until 1985. Only the middle third – the 11 miles from Eridge to Uckfield – lives, as part of the Oxted Line across Surrey and East Sussex.”

However, on a more optimistic note, the article observes that the Wealden Line has not been consigned entirely to the history books, with parts of it now used for heritage purposes.

The Lavender Line operates from Isfield station, while The Spa Valley Railway makes use of the six-mile stretch between Tunbridge Wells and Eridge.