Councillors back Drake Street tram stop motion

Metrolink

A motion calling for ‘every single possibility of finding funding’ for the Metrolink stop at Drake Street to be examined, has been backed by Rochdale Council.

The motion, put forward by Councillor Shah Wazir and seconded by Councillor Sharif gained all party support at a meeting of Full Council.

The crux of the motion was about looking for funding opportunities. The motion can be read in full at the bottom of this report.

Councillor Shah Wazir, said: “Councillors and traders on Drake Street want this stop. This is a one off opportunity to make the Drake Street tram stop reinstated.”

The stop was in the original plans, it was then withdrawn at a meeting in March, the decision at the meeting was made on incorrect evidence provided by the Council.

Rochdale Online understands the problem of removing the stop and now wanting to reinstate it at a later date could cost in the region of £4.4million, compared with the original £2million had it gone ahead as planned.

The Leader of Rochdale Council, Councillor Colin Lambert, said: “Let’s not play party politics, let’s go forward with something that is aspirational and at some point may be deliverable.”

Councillor Mohammed Sharif, said: “We need this stop and we are paying a high price now. We have to learn a lesson now.”

Councillor Martin Burke added that the officers responsible should be positive and not “looking for reasons not to” provide the stop.

The motion read:

This Council fully supports the construction of a Metrolink stop at Drake Street.

Council notes that following Call-In of the Cabinet’s decision not to challenge TfGM (GMPTA’s) decision to construct a Metrolink stop at Kingsway Business Park and shift the resources from the proposed Drake Street Metrolink stop, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 28 July 2011 considered, at great length, the reasons and rationale behind this last minute change in their decisions which would have severe implications for the businesses on Drake Street.

GMPTA decisions had been made in light of information provided by officers based on judgements made from limited consultation and three other factors.  Firstly, the technical complexity of the road junction; secondly, the overlapping catchment areas between Drake Street and the Maclure Road/Smith Street Stops; and thirdly, financial pressure on the programme.

Council supports the decision of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to examine funding the cost of the Drake Street stop out of a wide range of regeneration programmes and activities that are planned in and around Rochdale Town Centre and that was supported by members of all parties at the Overview and Scrutnity Committee. Therfore the Council requests the appropriate officers to look at every single possibility of finding funding for the Metrolink stop at Drake Street and to prepare reports for Cabinet and Rochdale Township. The Council supports the all party consensus that was achieved at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and trusts that this issue will be pursued in the future in a spirit of co-operation between all parities and officers concerned.