Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006
Encyclopedia
The Waverley Railway Act 2006 is an Act
of the Scottish Parliament
. It authorises the reconstruction of a railway from a point in Midlothian immediately south of Newcraighall
in the City of Edinburgh to Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders, including stations at Shawfair
, Eskbank, Newtongrange
, Gorebridge
, Stow of Wedale, Galashiels
and Tweedbank
. It makes provision concerning planning agreements and developer contributions relating to the railway.
Donald Dewar
, later First Minister
of Scotland
, launched a feasibility study in 1999 into the re-opening of the rail link which had been closed in 1969. This led to the publication of the feasibility study in February 2000 by the Scottish Executive's
Transport & Environment Minister Sarah Boyack
. The study concluded that a regular passenger rail service would be able to cover its operating costs.
by 114 votes to 1. It proposed re-opening the line as far as Tweedbank
, just south of the burgh
of Galashiels
. The bill was given the Royal Assent
in July 2006.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
. It authorises the reconstruction of a railway from a point in Midlothian immediately south of Newcraighall
Newcraighall
Newcraighall is a southeastern suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. A former mining village, its prosperity was based on the Midlothian coalfields and in particular the now closed Monktonhall pit. The village had a miners club and bowling green...
in the City of Edinburgh to Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders, including stations at Shawfair
Shawfair
Shawfair is the name of a new town planned to be built on the site of the former Monktonhall Colliery in the south-east wedge of Edinburgh. The name is derived from a local farm steading of the same name....
, Eskbank, Newtongrange
Newtongrange
Newtongrange is a former mining village in Midlothian, Scotland. Known in local dialect as Nitten, or Nitten by the Bing ,it became Scotland's largest mining village in the 1890s, with the sinking of the Lady Victoria Colliery and a shaft over 1600 feet deep...
, Gorebridge
Gorebridge
Gorebridge is a former mining village in Midlothian, Scotland. The village gets its name from the bridge across the River Gore, a tributary of the South Esk. It was once the home of Scotland's first gunpowder mill, at the Gore Water, commencing operation in 1794.Gorebridge has an annual gala day....
, Stow of Wedale, Galashiels
Galashiels
Galashiels is a burgh in the Scottish Borders, on the Gala Water river. The name is often shortened to "Gala" .Galashiels is a major commercial centre for the Scottish Borders...
and Tweedbank
Tweedbank
Tweedbank is a large village located south east of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, Scotland.Tweedbank, as the name suggests, is adjacent to the River Tweed, approximately 500 metres down river from Abbotsford House – the historic home of Sir Walter Scott.It is the site of the biggest...
. It makes provision concerning planning agreements and developer contributions relating to the railway.
Initial Proposals
The Secretary of State for ScotlandSecretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
Donald Dewar
Donald Dewar
Donald Campbell Dewar was a British politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament in Scotland from 1966-1970, and then again from 1978 until his death in 2000. He served in Tony Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997-1999 and was instrumental in the creation...
, later First Minister
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, launched a feasibility study in 1999 into the re-opening of the rail link which had been closed in 1969. This led to the publication of the feasibility study in February 2000 by the Scottish Executive's
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
Transport & Environment Minister Sarah Boyack
Sarah Boyack
Sarah Boyack MSP is a Scottish Labour MSP for the Lothian region and formerly constituency MSP for Edinburgh Central in the Scottish Parliament....
. The study concluded that a regular passenger rail service would be able to cover its operating costs.
Private Lobbying
The Campaign for Borders Rail was established independently of Executive plans to promote the link. The Campaign commissioned public surveys and, among other things, identified the popularity of a new station at Stow in the Borders.Public Promotion
The project was promoted in a number of ways including a roadshow in July 2002. This was set up in various locations in Edinburgh, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders. As well as presenting the detail of the proposed project, the roadshow provided an opportunity to receive concerns and objections.Objections
Main objections centred around potential noise levels; and lack of contactability with the developers. Residents of Still Haugh at Fountainhall in Edinburgh objected on many grounds. These included the effects of noise and vibrations on quality of life, property value, property stability, and local wildlife. Residents of Victoria Gardens at Newtongrange in Edinburgh also objected to projected noise levels and the inadequate proposals for barrier fences.Passage through Parliament
In June 2006, the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006 asp 13 was passed by the Scottish ParliamentScottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
by 114 votes to 1. It proposed re-opening the line as far as Tweedbank
Tweedbank
Tweedbank is a large village located south east of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, Scotland.Tweedbank, as the name suggests, is adjacent to the River Tweed, approximately 500 metres down river from Abbotsford House – the historic home of Sir Walter Scott.It is the site of the biggest...
, just south of the burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
of Galashiels
Galashiels
Galashiels is a burgh in the Scottish Borders, on the Gala Water river. The name is often shortened to "Gala" .Galashiels is a major commercial centre for the Scottish Borders...
. The bill was given the Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
in July 2006.