Plans for the Bala Lake Railway’s extension into the town have been published as part of a pre-application planning consultation.

The proposals include the 0.75-mile-long extension into the town, new station and associated services, and locals are urged to put their thoughts forward.

Bala town’s new station will have a ticket office and cafe as well as meeting facilities and function room.

Currently, the Bala Lake Railway operates along part of the former Ruabon to Barmouth route from Llanuwchllyn, where the heritage line’s sheds and HQ are, to the current terminus at Pen-y-Bont.

A successful appeal back in February 2021 meant that the Bala Lake Railway Trust allowed Natural Resources Wales to complete work on flood defences, which was a big boost to the extension plans.

During planning, Caulmert has said that the extension would increase passenger numbers from 29,000 to 60,000 a year.

A survey of the local area has revealed the Bala Lake Railway extension would create 40 new jobs, including 20 FTE one-year jobs, and bring £420,000 to the local economy.

The pre-application consultation will close on Monday 23rd August 2021.

The full proposal can be found by clicking here.

Julian Birley from The Bala Lake Railway Trust said “We are thrilled to release the detailed plans and to gather feedback from the local people who are integral to this development. We would encourage all those living and working in Bala to respond to the consultation with any queries or comments. After various delays to the development over the past 18 months, we are delighted to finally be taking this important step to improve the Bala Lake railway. The trust has a long-held ambition to extend the line and we feel confident that the proposals will be approved thanks to the range of benefits it will bring to the area and its community.”

Neil Foxall, Associate Director of Planning at Caulmert, said “We are pleased to have reached the Pre-Application Consultation stage and encourage statutory consultees, stakeholders and local residents to view the proposed development and submit their comments”.

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