Support from local businesses
Local businesses frequently indicate their support for our campaign, while the present road congestion is turning away potential new employers from the town. Below are some messages of support received (in alphabetic order).
Alternative Advertising
“I wholly support all your hard efforts to re open the line !! Its not far short of a disgrace that the line wasn’t opened years ago !! Keep up the hard work, well done !” John Grant, Managing Director. Alternative Advertising, Portbury.
Beaufort Brokers: Beaufort Brokers, who have an office in Portishead, fully support the reinstatement of the railway. Read full text PDF (101 Kb)
Capita Symonds: “Capita Symonds fully supports the re-opening of the Portishead to Bristol line. We have experience of this type of project having designed and managed the £35m reopening of the Ebbw Vale to Cardiff line. This was reopened to passenger use in 2008 having last carried passengers in 1962. As a local Portishead employer, Capita Symonds also recognises the necessity. Our staff have actively lobbied for us to support the scheme. We know that reopening the line is practical and would bring massive benefits to the town.”
Charles Cooke & Co Solicitors: The boutique corporate law firm Charles Cook & Co with offices in Bristol and Portishead fully support the reopening and say that their staff and clients would use the line daily to commute from Portishead to Bristol and back again. Read full text (PDF 132Kb)
C J Freeman & Co
“Freemans Television fully support the re opening on the railway link from Portishead to Bristol. The local traffic system is at breaking point, this would be easily relieved with the opening of this vital link to Bristol.”
Coastal Shipping Publications
“Coastal Shipping Publications, owned by local maritime author Bernard McCall, are delighted to support the campaign to re-open the branch to Portishead. Having lived for ten years in South Wales during the 1980s and early 1990s and seen several lines reopened to passengers in that time, we are well aware of the many benefits afforded by easy rail access.”
Crest-Nicholson (Residential): “Portishead is a fast-growing town with so many benefits as a place to live and work. Bringing back a rail link could prove a major benefit for the increasing number of people who live and work in the area and improve the transport infrastructure. Crest-Nicholson (Residential) would support plans that improve the quality of life for Portishead people by providing them with a rail link.”
DPS (Bristol) Limited: “DPS (Bristol) Limited, an international process engineering company with its head office based in Portishead, fully endorses the need for a fully functioning rail transport link between Portishead and Bristol. Our staff and the local community have expressed their support of this scheme, many of whom have participated in a petition to Downing Street to reopen the line. The increased housing and escalating population of Portishead, combined with ever-increasing business enterprises and local development in the area are already significantly hampered by inadequate public transport links to the surrounding areas of Portbury, Pill, Avonmouth, Severn Beach, Bradley Stoke, Clevedon, Weston Super Mare, and of course Bristol. The reinstatement of the line is essential for the economic growth of this area, and its re-introduction would minimise the environmental impact that is caused by the inevitable carbon dioxide emissions expended in travelling to and from the town. DPS (Bristol) Limited is committed to reducing its impact on the environment as much as possible, and believes that adding its voice to those of other local employers to encourage the reopening of this line demonstrates a positive step in this direction.”
Fox Advising cic: “Fox Advising cic is a Portishead based Community Interest Company which supports communities and business to thrive, therefore, we support the re-opening of the Portishead to Bristol railway line.”
Gordano Gate Business Park Limited: “Gordano Gate Business Park Limited are carrying
out a 23-acre development in the centre of Portishead. Plans for this further development
have been in place for several years, but on-site development has been hampered and
restricted for one primary reason – the absence of a rail link to Bristol. Positive
steps need to be taken to procure adequate means of getting in and out of town for
the considerable number of employees that the proposed development could attract.
Major
investment into any local economy is never going to succeed without adequate transportation
links, and medium-to-large scale employers will not consider relocating into a town
where the one primary road access point is severely overloaded. A comparatively foot-loose
employer of approximately 350 people has made it clear that if a rail link to Bristol
existed, Portishead would be high on its shortlist of possible sites. That is just
one of several potential occupiers who will end up elsewhere. “
Read full text. (PDF 67 Kb)
Gordano School
“Gordano School fully supports the re-opening of the Portishead to Bristol rail link. As a local Portishead employer of in excess of 200 staff, Gordano School recognises the necessity of solving the chronic transport problems in accessing the town. We know that re-opening the line is practical and would bring benefits both to the town and our school both from a staff and student access point of view, also for local parents many of whom work in Bristol.”
Hydrex
Hydrex fully support our campaign. Full text to follow.
MILES CMC
“MILES CMC fully supports the re-opening of the Portishead to Bristol rail link. As a local employer, Christopher Miles of MILES cmc recognises the urgency of solving the chronic transport problems in accessing and travelling out of the town, which has been referred to as the largest cul de sac in England! We know that re-opening the line is practical and would bring benefits both to the town and our business, both from a staff and client access perspective.
We would encourage the Portishead Railway Group to make every effort to advance this cause.”
Perception Photography
Chris Clarke of Perception Photography, 3 The Old Bakehouse, 42 High Street, fully supports the re-opening of the Portishead to Bristol rail link campaign.
Portishead Chamber of Commerce
“The Portishead Chamber of Commerce fully supports the re-opening of the Portishead to Bristol rail link.
As the local Portishead business organization we recognise the need to solve the chronic transport problems in accessing the town. We know that re-opening the line is practical and would bring benefits to the town’s business community.”
Tony Walmsley, President, Portishead Chamber of Commerce
Portishead Parochial Church Council: “Portishead Parochial Church Council wishes
to express its support for the proposed railway from Portishead to Bristol. In seeking
to be good stewards of creation we believe that the re-instatement of the railway
will help reduce the environmental impact of travel between Portishead and Bristol
and indeed destinations beyond.
Traffic congestion has a major impact on local peoples
lives causing delays and added stress and the railway would offer a valuable alternative
to road travel especially as the current road network is inadequate for the levels
of traffic as Portishead continues to expand. The presence of a railway would also
be an important alternative mode of public transport for those in our community without
cars, in particular the younger and older members of our community.
Many of our members
would prefer to use the railway instead of their cars and look forward to the railway
returning to Portishead. Please let us know if there are any ways in which we can
further help support and promote the cause of Portishead Railway Group.”
Pure Offices of Kestrel Court, Harbour Road, support the re-opening. Area Manager Steve Preston has submitted articles in support to Portishead Paper (June 2011), Gordano Living and North Somerset Life. See their poster opposite created by Richard Furness of Railway-Posters.com who also support the campaign.
Quay Digital, printers and publishers, based in Kestrel Court, support our campaign. Kris O’Shea Managing Director.
Walnut Grove Clinic.
“At Walnut Grove Clinic we fully support the opening of the Portishead to Bristol rail link.
Whilst is is unlikely that patients will come to our clinic just because of the railway the increase in population afforded by good rail links both residential and commercial can only help all of us in the business community locally.”
See also Our Case .....
Copyright © 2006-2011 Portishead Railway Group
If you run a local business and support our campaign to reopen the Portishead to Bristol railway, please email us a short statement of support to feature on this page.
PRG invites your organisation to become a Corporate Member. Please join our campaign and help make a difference. Download a Corporate Member application form.
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| Current Situation |
| Timescales |
| Press Articles |
| Coming Events |
| Transport Plans |
| Local government |
| GW Franchise |
| Help Us |
| Search Site |
| Join us |
| Contact us |
| Site map |
| The Future |
| Support |
| M5 expenditure |
| Environment |
| Traffic Flows |
| TV Prog |
| Petitions |
| Survey |
| Poem |
| Disused line |
| Current line |
| Historic photos |
| Railtrip |
| Memories |
| Timetables & Tickets |
| Addresses |
| Topical Link |