Timber railhead expansion plans approved

A new railhead reducing the need to transport timber by road has been approved by a council.

Sawmilling company BSW Timber Ltd lodged a plan to expand its land and infrastructure to connect to the national rail network in Cargo, Carlisle.

Approving the plans, Cumberland Council said the project would create a loop with Fort William in Scotland, and would move timber goods between the two sites.

Planning officers recommended that the application be granted subject to an agreement to secure £6,600 for travel plan monitoring and a £9,450 contribution towards cycleway and access improvements.

According to the planning report, the existing BSW Timber sawmill comprises of 15 hectares (37 acres) of land which house large storage areas for processed and unprocessed timber goods, warehouses for the manufacturing of the processed timber goods and other ancillary structures.

The plans said the new railhead would be built on land to the south of BSW Sawmills, operating 24 hours a day, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The application also included:

• Up to 10,200 sq m of warehouse and office space
• Up to 10,000 sq m of open storage area
• Up to 2,200 sq m of office and supporting infrastructure space
• Associated internal roads and infrastructure

According to the report, after three years of operation there would be six trains per day.

BSW's group project engineer, Stuart Fraser, said there were no suitable rail facilities between Manchester and Glasgow and the railhead would connect to the national rail network.

He added the expansion would provide additional employment to the current 163 jobs onsite.

Councillor Trevor Allison said the proposed cycleway was "fundamental" to the project, as there had previously been safety concerns if local youngsters had to cycle on the busy C1016 road.

When asked about the reduction in HGV journeys, Mr Fraser said there would be 16 fewer lorry journeys per day.

Mr Fraser said BSW would now move to the detailed planning and design stage.

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