Newstead Parish Plan 2008 - 2018

Transport

Newstead may be perceived as having excellent transport links with a bus route, The Robin Hood Line train station, Tram service from Hucknall and close proximity to the M1.

However many residents in the consultation of this plan expressed concerns around transport provision.
The Robin Hood line has a limited service to Newstead even though it passes through the village twice an hour.
Residents have complained that an erratic service is not conducive to getting to work on time, keeping a job or making appointments.

Recently the Robin Hood Line service has extended to Sundays which has been welcomed by residents.
The Trent Barton bus service 3A connects Newstead to Mansfield and Nottingham but has had issues in the past around reliability.

After pressure by the Newstead Residents Association and Newstead Parish Council, Trent Barton held a meeting at The Community Centre in 2008, for bus users to air their views. As a result reliability has been improved but it has highlighted the isolation that Newstead suffers and the need to ensure there is a forum for the community to monitor transport providers.

For most people unable to use public transport, taxi fares to the nearest shops and local services are prohibitively expensive.

Newstead benefited from decades of access to Newstead Abbey Park as part of its Parish via the Gate House on Station Avenue. In 2006 Gates were installed by Nottingham City Council and access to the Abbey from the historical Newstead entrance is now not possible. There is no public transport from the Village to the Abbey and car users have to now take a 16 mile round trip to enjoy something that is part of the same Parish.

Concerns were made about the safety of the rail barriers at the bottom of Tilford Road as they only cover half the road. As trains do not always stop at Newstead, they often go through at speed.

As the train crossing is the only access the village has to the recreational ground and Glenalmond Park it is regularly used by the community. Residents have asked for full safety barriers and a footbridge.

What you said-
"Not many trains stop at Newstead so I don’t tend to use them and they aren’t reliable in my experience."
37 % of respondents stated that the reliability of the train service was poor compared with 24% who stated the bus service was poor.

What we would like to achieve

• Residents are able to access public transport regularly
• Residents travel safely
• Residents are safe near the railway

Actions

• Explore extending the bus route further into the village
• Liaise with transport providers regarding issues with access and reliability
• Campaign for a safer right turn from Annesley Cuttings on to the A611
• Set up a rail-user group to identify issues
• Campaign for full safety barriers at the crossing
• Ask for a footbridge over the railway at the far end of Station Road