Carlisle city leaders have been urged to ensure Waverley Viaduct reopens during their final year in power, due to concerns the issue will be lost in the shuffle under a unitary authority.
Carlisle City Council’s place panel met at the Civic Centre on Thursday and the discussion turned to the fate of Waverley Viaduct. Carlisle Waverley Viaduct Trust has campaigned for 12 years to see the iconic structure reopened to the public as a footpath and, in the future, a cycleway.
The trust’s willingness to see the structure put to good use has been matched by the city and county councils but they will soon be abolished and replaced by Cumberland Council while the viaduct remains closed.
Speaking at the meeting, councillor Les Tickner said: “This is our last year as Carlisle and I’d hate to see things slipping into the long grass when it becomes Cumberland, so can we try and make some progress on the Waverley Viaduct which is supported by all parties in the city in our last year?
“I have a worry that once we become Cumberland, it won’t be as important as it is now.”
The deputy leader of the council Gareth Ellis said: “We made an undertaking when we took charge to underwrite any financial costs in regards to putting forward a footpath, any legal costs that would arise from that and that agreement still stands.
“We’re not the highway authority so we’re not responsible for the viaduct in that sense.”
But he said: “We’re willing to assist the group with the financial costs.”
The trust is waiting for the transfer of ownership of the viaduct from the Department of Transport to Railway Paths Ltd. They are unable to make any progress on the project until then.
Councillor Ellis said: “I think the only way this can really progress IS through a unitary authority because the financial risk on a district council is so large. Which is why your administration, when you were deputy leader, was very reluctant to underwrite any costs and it’s why we’re reluctant because the risk is that if we made a footpath, the highways authority – which is the county council – would enforce us to maintain it and keep it at a certain standard.
“I think when you have those two situations managed by a single council, you’ll end the problem of one council blaming the other and neither taking responsibility and that can only happen under a unitary authority.”
