Wave of suport for curve
BUSINESS leaders in Burnley have welcomed last week’s award of £8.8m from the Regional Growth Fund, stating that it will create jobs and drum up new business for the town.
The money will be used to reopen 500 metres of train track known as the Todmorden Curve which will cut train travel times between Manchester and Burnley by half. An element of the funding will also be used to provide a link between the town’s Manchester Road station and the £100m Weaver’s Triangle scheme being jointly developed by Burnley Borough Council and Barnfield Investment Properties.
Members of Burnley Bondholders – an organisation set up to promote the town which had campaigned for the re-introduction of the Todmorden Curve – have said it will make a huge difference to the town.
Andrew Brown, managing director of the Crow Wood Leisure complex in Burnley, argues that the rail link will make Burnley an attractive option for relocating companies.
“For people living outside the area, there is a lifestyle offer that’s second to none – we have the countryside, the residential offer and leisure facilities that are amongst the very best,” he said.
“The rail link in to Manchester will mean that we can provide a real commuter offer to professionals working in the heart of the regional economy.”
Mark Crabtree, managing director of AMS Neve, which designs sound consoles for leading film studios, said: “The Todmorden Curve rail link between Burnley and Manchester will clearly have very positive implications for the wider area.
“Personally, I’ve always felt that it was a nonsense that the head of a Hollywood studio could fly into London from LAX to visit Abbey Road, then face massive difficulties getting to AMS Neve’s headquarters in Burnley.
“This new link to Manchester significantly enhances Burnley’s public transport connections to London. Many more potential customers will now feel comfortable making the journey to us and other businesses in the area, with obvious advantages for the local economy and employment”.
A study has indicated that Burnley’s Gross Value Added could grow by as much as £30m a year once the direct link with Manchester is up and running, and that an extra 1,000 jobs could be created over the next ten years.
Andrew White, managing director of engineering firm Aircelle said: “We are Burnley’s largest employer and we want to attract people into the area.
“The new rail link into Manchester will make Burnley an easy commute.”
