Network Rail proceed with Railway Terrace re-fencing despite opposition
By Alex Jones 13th Apr 2021
Contractors (Three Squires) hired by Network Rail will this afternoon finish re-fencing the area between Railway Terrace and the train tracks after finally commencing the project yesterday.
They are removing a rusted, four-foot tall mesh fence and replacing it with six-foot industrial palisade fencing. The current fencing falls short of safety standards due to its proximity to both the road and the railway.
In order to do change the fencing, they have removed a strip of vegetation which resident Kevin Calnan believes to house threatened wildlife.
"It looks like a prison now," he told Nub News. "They said they need to put it up that high for safety reasons but no-one's going to jump over a fence straight into bramble bushes.
"I like conservation. I like seeing the birds and the wildlife in the vegetation. We had the work halted in February because it's a known fact among residents that a protected species of dormice live along the embankment.
"They sent a Network Rail ecologist but he had a really quick look in the winter time when all the mice were hibernating."
Local Friends of the Earth leader Max Wallis also opposes the project:
"It's time Network Rail quit Wales; they are spending huge amounts and charging us for unwanted fencing. Many parts of the Welsh network do have a security problem, but not here. The wildlife recolonising this railway branch line should be allowed to flourish."
Not everyone on Railway Terrace feels this way. Speaking to Nub News, an anonymous resident said:
"It's going to look better than before, and they did a complete search and didn't find any dormice.
"The problem was that the vegetation grows through and cars can't park here," she continued. "I would be even better if they laid down a strip of tarmac."
Another resident simply commented, "I'm not really fussed to be honest. It's not a big deal."
In an email to Mr Wallis and Mr Canlan, Network Rail's Tomos Roberts said:
"We have discussed the issue at length previously and our stance has not changed.
- We don't require planning permission to complete the work as fencing comes under permitted development as a statutory undertaker.
- We will only be removing vegetation that is required to install the fence.- An up to date survey was carried out by a qualified consultant Ecologist and will be present throughout the work
- Our decision on the fencing is based on the approved specification within the railway standards" Mr Canlan this morning showed Nub News that although roughly two feet of vegetation was removed along most of the fence, nine feet was removed from the section opposite his house. He suspects foul play. "I reported the dormice in the first place and they had to pack up and go home. They've then cut all this down right opposite my house. I couldn't say for sure that they've done this to get back at me, but it feels like that." The two Three Squires workers assured that the removal of this vegetation was necessary.
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