Rugby council: Funding must be secured for Parkway Railway Station, but all infrastructure must be considered

But portfolio holder for growth and investment, Cllr Sebastian Lowe, said the rest of the town’s infrastructure must also be considered.

He told the meeting: “The existing Rugby Sation is overstretched, as at times are our roads. Residents and businesses of this town suffer the consequences of traffic congestion and poor air quality, and, particularly as we approach the time when the finalised Local Plan is back from the inspector and before our members for a final vote, it is time we took a wider look at transport infrastructure in this borough.”

Work on the Rugby Parkway Railway Station in Hillmorton was set to begin in May this year, but funding issues meant the project hit the buffers.

At the Rugby Borough Council meeting last Thursday, September 27, Labour councillors Maggie O’Rourke and Claire Edwards put forward a motion calling on council leader Michael Stokes to make ‘urgent representations’ to the Department for Transport to secure funding for the station.

Councillors Sebastian Lowe and Peter Butlin seconded an amendment to the motion.

The final motion reads: “The council will continue to work with all parties, including Warwickshire County Council (as the Transport Authority), the DfT and developers, to secure any funding available that will improve and add to the transport links in Rugby whilst also ensuring that the existing Rugby Station is not adversely impacted and the surrounding infrastructure continues to receive investment.”