Proposal for railway path between West Auckland and Barnard Castle halted

A MULTI-MILLION pound project to link up Barnard Castle and West Auckland by a public path and cycleway has ground to a halt – again.
The South West Durham Heritage Corridor project along the former railway line has developed in different guises for the past 11 years.
But efforts to restore stretches of the path have stopped for the time being as funding has dried up.
Members Cockfield Parish Council were disappointed a stretch of the path renovated near East Peathrow Farm has remained “unusable”.
Cllr Jonathan Milroy said: “They spent money on doing it up and the old bridge has been closed off for a long time. For about 18 months it’s been unusable and dangerous. At the end of the day it’s all down to money but it’s an area used by an awful lot of walkers.”
The original proposal, first drawn up in 2006, was for people to enjoy the walkway “for quiet recreation, relaxation, exercise and enjoyment and for understanding the unique and rich heritage of the area”. It was lined up to allow people to discover the relics of the railway, which include bridges, abutments and Langleydale Viaduct.
Teesdale Action Partnership (TAP) member and parish councillor Christine Watters told council colleagues the project had been done in stages because of its expense.
She added: “The funding criteria has changed so it will not become a priority as much as it has in the past.
“At the end of the day it’s all down to money. It’s a shame it has to close and stay closed.”
The project first ran out of steam in 2010 but underwent a revival when Durham County Council and regeneration charity Groundworks teamed up with TAP to take it on. Three sections of the railway path have been renovated so far and TAP co-ordinator Craig Morgan said the corridor project was “still live”.
But he added that the TAP team had to be realistic about its funding.
He added: “There is certainly a desire to see the whole corridor opened up to the public. Our thinking was that if we could do a couple of sections that were affordable and straightforward, it would show anybody who might be thinking about offering funding what can be done. We do recognise it would be very expensive to open up the full length of it – there are viaduct sections which would cost a lot of money to make safe.”
Discussions are still going on in about the path in TAP’s transport and environment group. Mr Morgan added: “As an area partnership we have got to be realistic about what can be achieved.”
Mike Ogden, the county Council’s access and rights of way manager, said the Corridor project had been rebranded as the “Barnard Castle to Bishop Auckland Railway”.
He added: “So far, two sections have been improved through funding from the Teesdale Action Partnership and the local transport plan and we are now looking at further areas of development.
“The small bridge near West Peathrow has been fenced off as it is currently in a dangerous condition. We are currently exploring options in respect of the bridge as well as the potential to extend improvements towards Cockfield Fell.”