Moorland & City Railway Heritage Railway Extension into Leek September 2013 Moorland & City Railway Heritage Railway Extension into Leek Summary Report September 2013 Moorland & City Railway Heritage Railway Extension into Leek September 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Numbers Section 1 Introduction 1 Section 2 The Project 2 Section 3 Market Summary 7 Section 4 Summary Economic Assessment 15 Section 5 Conclusions 23 Moorland & City Railway Heritage Railway Extension into Leek September 2013 1 Introduction Background 1.1 This Summary Report has been prepared by the Leisure Consultancy in association with Mott MacDonald and reviews the strategic context and market potential that could be optimised by the heritage rail development planned by Moorland and City Railway (MCR). It also encompasses the views of key consultees including representatives of: Churnet Valley Railway; Staffordshire Moorlands District Council; Visit High Peak and Derbyshire DMO; and Team Tourism. The Summary Report concludes with the likely economic benefits that could be derived from the development proposals. 1.2 In this section of the report, we firstly comment on the development proposals before outlining the report structure. Proposed Development 1.3 MCR was established to “purchase, renovate and return commercial freight to the Stoke on Trent – Cauldon Low rail route”. Linked to these key objectives are MCR’s tourist related plans which are to: provide direct access to Alton Towers; to re-connect Leek to the national rail network (the focus of this report) ; and to support the extension of the Churnet Valley Railway (CVR), one of the most popular heritage railways presently operating in the Midlands. 1.4 The CVR has already benefited from the plans of MCR utilising the extended valley route linking Cheddleton, Consall and Frogall to take in the Cauldon branch (which has been brought back into use by MCR), with the overall trip now extending to a round trip of 26 miles. 1.5 As we understand it, MCR’s intention is to secure the planned rail development/extension through cross funding with a residential development at Leebrook for which planning consent is to be sought. This Summary Report will form part of the supporting material for a planning application, presently being assembled by Capita. Format of the Summary Report 1.6 Cognisant of the foregoing our Summary Report is set out as follows: Section 2 The Project Section 3 Market Summary Section 4 Summary Economic Assessment Section 5 Conclusions 1 Moorland & City Railway Heritage Railway Extension into Leek July 2013 2 The Project Introduction 2.1 In this section of our Summary Report we provide the rationale underpinning the development proposals and comment on the proposed facilities. We also review the strategic location of the site and consider relevant strategies and policies which provide the context to the development proposals. The Proposals and Rationale for Development 2.2 The proposals comprise three elements namely: Extension of the railway which would be approximately ¾ mile A new, purpose built station in Leek which would be located in an accessible and prominent position in Leek A residential development on surplus railway land at Leebrook 2.3 As noted earlier, this latter element is fundamental to providing the new railway infrastructure as it will cross fund the railway proposals. Importantly, the new sub-section would “connect” Leek to the MCR/CVR network bringing with it a number of important benefits which can be summarised as follows: Provide a new terminus for CVR heritage steam services Provide a new terminus for MCR commercial services to Stoke, Alton Towers, The Churnet Valley and the Cauldon line Act as a catalyst to stimulate regeneration in the area, most particularly in respect of the Cornhill development which, as noted in the Draft Churnet Valley Masterplan (DCVM) “has been a focus for the Council for a number of years”. As highlighted in the DCVM, this area has the potential to create employment and leisure development, noting the assets of the railway and canal – land availability combined with the MCR/CVR railway development plans are supportive in this respect 2.4 The overall rationale underpinning the development proposals therefore is to develop the heritage railway which will be a more significant “attractor” in the area, potentially widening its catchment which in turn will add to the visitor economy, creating jobs and spend. The proposals will also have a material impact on Leek, connecting it to the other tourist “honeypots” with the added benefit of extending visitor dwell times. The proposals also have a commercial rationale linking services to Stoke and other areas as well as “kick-starting” regeneration activity in the Cornhill area. 2 Moorland & City Railway Heritage Railway Extension into Leek September 2013 Location & Linkages 2.5 The following map illustrates the route of the railway and highlights its strategic location in relation to other settlements in the area. It also shows the central position of Leek in respect of the Council area and illustrates the connectivity that could be achieved through the development proposals. Development Site 2.6 The proposed railway extension into Leek would follow the line of the disused railway track. It has potential to act as a catalyst to development around the new station that would be built (as noted earlier). The station would be located on vacant land that was previously used for employment uses 3 Moorland & City Railway Heritage Railway Extension into Leek September 2013 and, as part of the Cornhill/Barnfields proposals forms part of a wider Masterplan for mixed-use development extending westwards towards the canal and the River Churnet. 2.7 Images of the site for the new Leek Station are shown below. Site for proposed Barnfield development, the station would be located on the other side of the site, the trees mark the line of the railway Vehicular access to the site and station would be formed from the existing turning circle Strategies and Policies of Relevance 2.8 Having commented on the rationale for the development proposals, the development site and its strategic location, in this section we briefly comment on a number of strategies and policies which also provide the context for the proposed rail development. These include the following: Visit England – A Strategic Framework for Tourism 2010-2020 Visit England – Wise Growth Action Plan 2010-2020 Visit Peak District and Derbyshire – Tourism Strategic Framework 2011-2014 Staffordshire Moorlands Tourism Study – 2011 Churnet Valley Accessibility and Connectivity Study - 2011 Draft Churnet Valley Masterplan (Staffordshire Moorlands Local Development Framework – July 2013 4 Moorland & City Railway Heritage Railway Extension into Leek September 2013 2.9 In the following table we briefly comment on each of these strategies. Strategy Context Visit England – A The Framework notes that tourism is worth £97bn a year to the economy and, Strategic Framework for although operating below capacity, suggests that the potential for growth is Tourism 2010-2020 significant. The Vision identified in the Strategy is “to maximise tourism’s (revised edition 2011) contribution to the economy, employment and quality of life in England” and this is underpinned by 4 objectives and a number of action plans, one of which is Wise Growth – noted below. The economic value of tourism is clearly stated and this has particular resonance with MCR’s proposals to facilitate extension of the heritage rail provision in Staffordshire Visit England – A Acknowledging the economic role of tourism, this Action Plan notes the need to Strategic Framework for balance growth to provide sustainability ensuring that a co-ordinated approach is Tourism 2010-2020 taken to tourism development thereby achieving the best outcomes, economically, (revised edition 2011 – socially and environmentally. Viability is one of the underlying principles providing Wise Growth Action Plan jobs for local people and optimising visitor spend in the local community. MCR’s proposals would contribute to the local community in terms of jobs and spend whilst also benefiting the area from an environmental perspective, providing an alternative to car borne access and linking attractions together Visit Peak District and The Framework argues that there is a need to remain competitive in terms of cost Derbyshire – Tourism and value for money, whilst offering visitors a great experience. Future Strategic Framework development in the area should focus on growing the arts, culture and heritage 2011-2014 markets, and continued product development is required to keep people visiting. In terms of sectors, the MCR proposals will contribute to developing the heritage offer in the area in order to attract new visitors and retain existing ones Staffordshire Moorlands The underlying aim of the study was to review the role and impact of the visitor Tourism Study - 2011 economy and consider opportunities for economic growth both in the Churnet Valley and wider district. Part of the report looked at Product Development within which a number of “Transformational projects” were identified, one of which related to development of the Churnet Valley and Moorland and City Railways. The report noted the likely stages of rail development to: Stoke; Alton Towers, Leek and Waterhouses and the positive impact on visitor numbers that these planned developments could make. Growth in visitor numbers, creating physical and thematic linkages (e.g. Leek and Alton