Following the decision to close the Chalkwell Ramp, made on urgent safety grounds, Member of Parliament for Southend West and Leigh, David Burton-Sampson is pressing for a speedy solution to replace it.
David has held meetings with the Council, Network Rail and C2C, who are all working together to agree a way forward. As a result, David has secured assurances that options for a permanent replacement for the ramp will be drawn up by the end of the month, and a public meeting will be scheduled to allow residents to have their say on the options available. David is also pushing C2C to find a way to open their access gate to the beach. However, there are several barriers that are preventing this from happening. David is encouraging both parties to find a way to make this work.
David says:
“This is not as simple as the council replacing the Chalkwell ramp. The engineering works will require a significant line closure for demolition of the ramp and installation of new temporary access. That requires the agreement of C2C and Network Rail. Nevertheless, we realise the importance of this issue to residents and business, and I am pressing for this matter to be resolved as quickly as humanly possible. As soon as we have a timetable for the works, we will let residents know.”
The Office of DAVID BURTON-SAMPSON MP