Centro have pledged to carry on with negotiations to compulsory purchase land for the currently unfunded extensions to Midland Metro as their powers under the TWA Order is due to expire in 2010. A vote is due to be held to decide whether to press ahead with these plans.
£12 million would need to be spent on buying the land and Centro bosses believe if they don’t do this they would be unable to prevent any planning applications for buildings by the proposed route of the extensions. An alternative to this would be to spend £150,000 on extending the powers for another five years.
Another option is to build a Park and Ride site at Dudley Port. This would cost £2 million and would be done now so as not to lose the planning permission already in place. The car park would be for 62 cars and would be a crucial part of the extension from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill. If the line did not get the go-ahead the site would be able to be used by standard trains serving Dudley Port.
Commenting on the proposals, Geoff Inskip, Centro Chief Executive, said: “Allowing the planning and land acquisition powers to lapse would carry a reputational risk for Centro, which has already allowed Midland Metro Act powers to lapse on Wednesbury and Brierley Hill in the 1990s.”
Source: Wolverhampton Express and Star