Launceston Cornwall - The boss of the Launceston Steam Railway is considering legal action against Cornwall Council after claiming his business lost more than £100,000 when a scheme to extend the line failed.
 
Nigel Bowman, managing director of the railway, made the claims following the publication of a critical report into the much-heralded TRAC project.
 
The project should have created multi-use trails at Launceston and Bude, as well as the extension of the steam railway to Egloskerry, but the schemes failed to get off the ground.
 
The only project which was successful was the Caradon Hill Area Heritage Project (CHAHP), which was aimed at the conservation of historical features and the creation of a multi-use trail.
 
Mr. Bowman says that part of the downfall of the Launceston scheme can be attributed to the fact that the council took £320,000 allocated to the town to get match-funding on the Caradon Project.
 
The report on the scheme had been requested by Launceston councillor Alex Folkes and was discussed at a meeting in the town last Tuesday.
 
Mr. Folkes said the present-day officers who attended the meeting had inherited a "horrible mess".
 
The report concludes that there were a number of failings.
 
Mr. Bowman said he would like to see the extension of the railway line going ahead in the future but he would not want to be part of the council using "steamroller tactics against landowners".
 
He said the steam railway's contribution was to have been over £330,000 in material, labour, and land.
 
"The council then dropped us as a partner, gave money to the Caradon Project, and then asked us for another £249,000."
 
He said he was considering a claim for £110,000 against the council for the investment in track and materials, and the development of a vehicle to stretch the tourist season.
 
Mr. Bowman said the unhelpful attitude of the council had caused distress to landowners who then became entrenched against the scheme.
 
He said that they were offered figures such as £2,000 for land when the multi-use trail running by would have knocked 100 times that amount off the value of their property.
 
The critical report said that the complexity of project delivery and funds required had been underestimated prior to bid submission and inexperienced staff put in place to deliver the schemes.
 
The projects lacked a clear land assembly strategy and concerns raised by local members over the lack of progress were not adequately addressed.
 
The report says certain aspects have been successfully delivered, including partial trail creation at Bude.
 
Survey and landowner information had been compiled which will assist any future proposals and planning approvals gained for the trails relating to CYCLE, a cycle touring route, at Launceston.
 
The Caradon Hill Area Heritage Project had been delivered within budget, and had significantly exceeded the envisaged key project outputs.
 
Lessons had been learned and departmental staffing structures had been altered to address how major projects are delivered in the future, says the report.
 
The TRAC project had originally set out to deliver the Bude and Launceston elements within a £1.5 million funding package.
 
The reallocation of £320,000 from the TRAC project to provide the match funds to the £2.48 million Caradon project increased the likelihood of the TRAC project failing, says the report.
 
The new report says the scheme for Launceston was beset with difficulties from the outset, not least around the original budget for the works and land assembly.
 
Jonathan Mann, director of the steam railway, said:  "Launceston has lost out on a project which would have delivered significant benefits to the town, while Caradon has a gold-plated project."
 
At Bude difficulties have been encountered in securing the land required.
 
An underpass has been created beneath the A39, linking the pre-existing trail from Bude, beyond to the existing National Cycle Route at Helebridge.
 
It has cost £277,790 to achieve 16 percent of the length of the original trail.
 
No one from the council was available to comment on Mr. Bowman's threat of legal action as the Cornish Guardian went to press.
 
Author Anonymous.