Political opinion with Alison Bennett MP: Making Wivelsfield Station accessible for everyone

Improving accessibility at Wivelsfield Station has been a long-standing issue for local residents, well before I became MP, and I fully understand why it matters. This is not simply a question of convenience. It is about ensuring that everyone in our growing community can access and benefit from public transport. 

For disabled travellers, older residents, parents with pushchairs and those with mobility challenges, navigating the station remains difficult. At present, it is not possible to access the northbound platform without climbing the stairs at the front of the station. As a result, some people are effectively prevented from using Wivelsfield because it does not meet their basic accessibility needs. With Burgess Hill and the surrounding area continuing to grow, passenger numbers are expected to increase, making improved access more important than ever. 

Throughout 2025, I repeatedly raised concerns in Parliament that the previous government’s commitment to provide step-free access to the London-bound platform at Wivelsfield was not being delivered. In January, the Labour government confirmed that, because the scheme had not been funded, it would not be progressing. 

In response, I met with the rail minister in February and later visited the station with Burgess Hill Town Councillors to discuss an alternative proposal developed by local residents. 

After months of discussions with Network Rail to coordinate a site visit, I was pleased to bring all the key organisations together last Friday to walk the site, despite Storm Austen. The meeting was productive, and there was a clear commitment from everyone involved to work collaboratively to improve accessibility at the station. All those present recognised Wivelsfield’s importance in connecting residents to employment, education and essential services, and agreed that no one should be excluded from using it because of physical barriers. 

Although funding remains a significant problem, everyone at the meeting agreed that doing nothing was not an option. Every avenue must be explored to get this project off the ground, and there is a real determination to move this forward.  

Further discussions will be needed to maintain momentum and identify practical next steps, and I will be convening another meeting in the near future. Accessibility should never be an afterthought, and the priority now is turning goodwill into investment and making Wivelsfield a station that can be used by everyone.