Plans to close Cottingley Rail Station confirmed

The plans would effectively see the facility, currently in a residential area of south Leeds, move half a mile down the line to a site at the White Rose office park.

Closure plans for Cottingley Station had previously been hinted at in council papers, but only now have the proposals finally been announced, with confirmation the site is expected to close at some point between late 2022 and Spring 2023.

A consultation paper by WYCA claimed Cottingley station didn’t meet accessibility standards and was too far from “business and education opportunities” than the proposed new site.

Work to build the new White Rose station is expected to start at some point later this year, and be finished by the end of 2022.

A report, set to go before regional decision-makers next week, stated: “West Yorkshire Combined Authority is currently considering the closure of Cottingley Rail Station and is undergoing a consultation process.

“This closure is being considered due to the construction of a new, more accessible station 800 metres from Cottingley at White Rose with extensive walking and cycling routes to and from the wider community.”

A consultation document said the option of not opening the new station, or keeping both stations had been looked at, but that Cottingley did not meet the “accessibility standards”, adding:

“Cottingley is situated further from businesses, education opportunities and the nearby shopping centre.

“Secondly, White Rose is being progressed with a combination of public and private funding which would not have been available for Cottingley.”

The document claims the new station would include lift and staircase access, improved cycle accessibility, cycle storage, CCTV and shelters.

According to previously published papers, the station is forecast to cost around £22m, with £5m expected to come from the council’s Connecting Leeds grant scheme; £5m from the

Government’s New Stations Fund, £12m from its Transforming Cities Fund, and “up to £4.5m” from Munroe K.

Feedback and comments can be left on the project’s YourVoice page at https://www.yourvoice.westyorksca.gov.uk/cottingley

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