BRADFORD Council has reiterated its support for an iconic travel route after being challenged over failing to take enforcement action when a disused Queensbury railway tunnel earmarked for a cycle path was partially infilled.
Queensbury Tunnel is the centrepiece of a proposal to develop an active travel network connecting Halifax to Bradford and Keighley, with the Department for Transport committing £1 million to technical and feasibility studies.
While Bradford Council reiterated its commitment to the travel route, Queensbury Tunnel Society campaigners explained the tunnel custodian, National Highways, infilled a short section of the 1.4-mile long engineering feat in October 2019 following an inundation of groundwater.
The Victorian structure has been affected by flooding since the 1970s but water pumps were turned off in September 2018, shortly before a 12-week programme of enabling works was due to begin.
The tunnel then flooded and the project had to be replanned.
In late September 2019, six days of torrential rain scuppered more work on the tunnel.
With concerns over a bulge in the lining’s sidewall, National Highways used emergency development powers - known as Class Q - to tip hundreds of tonnes of stone down a nearby ventilation shaft, filling both it and the tunnel.
But campaigners say the powers only facilitate temporary works and the material should have been removed within six months, and they claim the infill is now unlawful.
They urged Bradford Council’s planning team to take enforcement action against National Highways.
Norah McWilliam, leader of the Queensbury Tunnel Society, said: “Officers tried to stop the shaft’s infilling whilst it was ongoing, but failed to act with sufficient urgency. The misuse of Class Q powers - which have long-since expired - provides the opportunity to put this matter right, bringing the prospect of a strategically-valuable cycle route that bit closer."
Helene Rossiter, National Highways' Head of the Historical Railways' Estate programme, said: “The work inside the tunnel didn’t require planning permission, as agreed by Bradford Council’s planning team. The work took place inside the structure and didn’t change the visual aspect of the tunnel.
“In terms of the current state of play, the repurposing of Queensbury Tunnel for future use for active travel sits with Bradford Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Department for Transport.
“Our role is to manage the structure and keep it safe while such plans are developed.”
A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “We remain committed to saving Queensbury Tunnel and will continue to work with our partners to do everything we can to transform it into an iconic active travel route.
“Our current focus is completing the feasibility work which we secured £1m of funding for.
“Once this is complete, we will have some important discussions with all our local stakeholders, the Department for Transport and Historic Railways Estate. This will include considering the planning status of the tunnel.”
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