...brace yourself...this is serious...
The Western Gazette's 'back on track' campaign to persuade the government to open a railway station for the Langport and Somerton area appears to be going from strength to strength. Not a week goes by without the paper picturing a politician or business person supporting the project and there are petition sheets everywhere you look.
But while the benefits a train link would bring can't be denied...has anyone looked at the flip side of the coin and at what might really happen if our medium-sized rural town of Langport became a stop on the national rail network?
Picture it: we would suddenly be considered as 'in the commuter belt' for workers over large parts of the south west. Langport would instantly become a more attractive option to people living in far larger towns along southern England's railway lines. The population would rise. New businesses would open here or relocate here. Property prices would go up. Land value would go up.
- and what does that all mean? Housing. Loads of it. See that chilled-out rural view outside your window? Not for much longer matey. Every green space we've got would have new housing built on or around it to cater for these new 'commuters' and businesses eager to take advantage of a Somerset town with a new railway station. Gone for ever would be Langport and Huish Episcopi's status as rural havens where we all live to escape the rat race. Is that really what we want? Is it such a bad thing to have to travel to Castle Cary, Yeovil or Taunton to catch a train? Can there really be no progress for Langport without a train station?
Careful what you wish for....maybe Dr Beeching wasn't such a bad chap after all.
Apologies for the rant...but any good strong local campaign always need an alternative point of view. Normal Carry On Langport service will be resumed shortly with a full and exclusive report on tonight's weekly orgy at the Tesco staff canteen. (use the side door).
One of 400 cucumbers already being peeled for tonight's 'staff training' at Tesco.
