The Great Central Railway has submitted its planning application to Charnwood Borough Council for the ambitious Reunification scheme.
The project will reconnect two separate heritage railways to create an eighteen-mile line stretching from the north of Leicester to the south of Nottingham, centered on Loughborough, bringing economic benefit and protecting jobs in the area’s service sector.
Three parts of the scheme have already been completed and millions of pounds raised. However, to build more of the scheme planning permission is required.
General Manager of the Great Central Railway, Malcolm Holmes said: “As always, we are hugely grateful and humbled by the generous donations we receive from around the world to advance the project. This next stage is crucial, so we’re now asking people to contact Charnwood Borough Council and support the planning application.”
Since showcasing new plans for the proposed railway link in April 2024, an additional £50,000 has been raised by supporters towards the next phase of work. Plans now need to be turned into engineering designs and specifications, which is likely to cost in the region of half a million pounds.
Malcolm continued: “Formally applying for planning consent is a huge milestone for this exciting project. It has required a lot of hard work and investment from our supporters and stakeholders. We’d like to thank everyone who has got behind Reunification and in particular our design consultants and advisers who have helped and guided us through this vital stage.”
The two sections of the line being reconnected were part of the original Great Central Railway which ran from Sheffield to London. It was closed in 1969 and 500 metres of railway was removed. The revived GCR in Leicestershire now welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors and a sister operation in Nottinghamshire is a developing heritage attraction.
