Focus of work
Focussing first on the route of the Old Sheppey Light Railway and its attractions and history, the project has then gone on to explore the areas where the route can be re-instated as a walking and cycling trail. Of greatest importance is the ease and availability of the route to be used by and for local people for their everyday journeys. Emphasis has been placed on the ability of school children to safely travel to and from their schools.
Matching the line of the old track to the needs of today’s users will involve compromise, especially in areas where the track has been built upon. Nevertheless, the project intends to tell the story of the line and its history in a range of ways. Already there have been newspaper articles about it, a Meridian TV interview, and the New Engineer included an article on the line.
The group running the project’s main aim is to secure the agreed route that they want the track to follow and safeguard it against future housing developments. Once the route has been registered, the process will be to obtain the permissions and funding in order to begin the work.
