In July I reported that the 500-signature petition to the Senedd, urging Welsh Government to deliver our station as a ‘quick win’ was still awaiting consideration. We have recently been informed, by Lee Waters (Deputy Minister for Climate Change), in a letter to the committee chair, that the petition is scheduled to be considered at the Petitions Committee’s next meeting on Monday 3 October 2022. In the communication, the minister said, that –
“The work of the Magor Action Group on Rail is well known to Welsh Government and actions are in hand to progress development of proposals for a station at Magor. Lord Burns and the South East Wales Transport Commission provided support for a station at Magor as part of their recommendations, and we immediately accepted in principle all recommendations of the Commission. To move that forward, the Burns Delivery Unit has been established to progress the recommendations at pace, with the first Annual Report, available here: 2022-01-18 Burns Report V2-min.pdf (tfw.wales).”
Let’s hope they see it as a ‘quick win’ as it will reassure people that something is happening after the cancellation of the M4 relief road and that it will also be a significant act by Welsh Government to show that it is serious about tackling ‘climate change’.
This week Ted and I, along with our three county councillors and MCC officers, attended an inaugural meeting, led by Mark Hand (MCC’s Head of Placemaking, Regeneration, Highways and Flooding) as a start to developing a strategic plan that will identify the parking regime needed for when the railway station is in place. As the station is principally a ‘Walkway’, to encourage local residents to walk, cycle, be dropped off or use a ‘grass roots’ bus, there will be a need to ensure that any existing or future carparks are used as intended. Also, to ensure that residential streets are not used for commuter parking. The piece of work will involve consultation of residents to ensure that all views are gathered. More on this next month!
Finally, I had previously highlighted MAGOR’s achievements in the RailFuture’s annual awards. 
The certificates, have now come through, proudly shown here by our Group’s chair, Laurence Hando. It is intended that they will eventually be displayed in the Community Hub.
Paul
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