SWINDON Council is preparing to take legal action against developers in a long-running dispute over an unbuilt crossing on the Swindon and Cricklade Railway.

At a meeting tomorrow, the council will seek approval from the planning committee to take enforcement action against Crest Estates Ltd and the Haydon Development Company Ltd to get them to pay for a much-needed crossing at Mouldon Park.

It goes back to an agreement signed between the heritage railway and Crest back in 1995 when the Northern Sector was being built. The developers agreed to build an embankment for the line and crossing for pedestrians and cyclists.

While the embankment has been built, the crossing has been the subject of much dispute and after years of talks the council, as the local planning authority, has decided enough is enough.

Central to the dispute is the type of crossing which should be put in place. Developers want to simply install gates, while the railway argues it should be a full manually operated crossing, something they say is backed by the regulator.

There is a large variation in the cost, with the Swindon and Cricklade Railway previously quoting between £400,000 and £800,000. The developers dispute this, saying the job could be much cheaper.

They had offered the trust a sum of £20,000 but this was rejected.

Discussions, which have been going on for years, are not making any progress so an attempt is being made to force the developers’ hand, a move welcomed by the railway trust.

Brian Pound, the chairman of the Swindon and Cricklade Railway, said: “We are pleased the council is taking action.

“This was part of the section 106 agreement made a long time ago to put in a crossing.

“The decision to put in a full crossing as opposed to gates is that taken by the Office of the Rail Regulator, not us.

“The developers say they have spoken to the ORR but they can’t have done because this is what they are saying. It is a matter of safety.”

The ward councillors have also been consulted on the issue and Coun Toby Elliott (Con, Priory Vale) said he would be supporting the railway.

He said: “It is essential that when developers sign legal agreements to help fund local projects that they are kept to these legal documents.

“The Swindon & Cricklade Railway is a pinnacle asset for local residents and I am a keen supporter of theirs.

“I will be working with the railway to help them reconnect the heritage line back with the main network; and this crossing is a vital part of these works.”

Crest was contacted but no-one was available to comment.