Edward Fox leads town rebellion against renovating railway station
British actor Edward Fox, 87, has taken aim at Network Rail who want to build a modern ramped bridge onto the Grade II listed Victorian station in Wareham, Dorset.
After starring as an infamous assassin in iconic film The Day of the Jackal, Edward Fox is now facing a real-life battle, leading a town-wide rebellion against a controversial railway crossing.
Mr Fox, 87, has taken aim at Network Rail who want to build a modern ramped bridge onto the Grade II listed Victorian station in his hometown of Wareham, Dorset.
Delivering an impassioned speech to a crowd of 250 protestors, the actor was met with rounds of applause as he urged the local MP to 'go into battle for the community and not kowtow to the bureaucrat'.
Mr Fox, who first rose to international fame in 1973 for his role as The Jackal in BAFTA award winning film The Day of the Jackal, has lived near the picturesque town since 1982.
The A Bridge Too Far star has been outspoken about his views of the planning row, said that the closure of the current crossing would 'cut the town in half' and force women with young children onto a busy road, a fate he described as 'not just unfair but criminally bad'.
Residents currently use a red-brick footbridge and level crossing to get from one side of the tracks to the other. Around half of the townâs 23,000 population live on the railway' north side, with the crossing being the only pedestrian route to the town centre.
However, Network Rail bosses have raised concerns for the health and safety risks of the crossing, declaring that they want to replace it with an 'unsightly' sloping zig-zag bridge.
It comes after they tried to get planning permission for a similar bridge in 2018 but it was rejected as the structure would have had a negative visual impact on a listed building.
Actor Edward Fox, 87, (pictured) has taken aim at Network Rail who want to build a modern ramped bridge onto the Grade II listed Victorian station in his hometown of Wareham, Dorset
250 local residents attended a protest against the building of the new bridge, feeling that an 'enormous injustice' is taking placeÂ
Now, amid plans for a new crossing to be introduced, Mr Fox has joined the community's fight against the contentious change.Â
The British actor asserted that the station's current red-brick footbridge and level crossing has 'been in existence since Saxon times and has served people well', raising concerns for the potential isolation of vulnerable residents.
He added: 'It is extraordinary and particularly presumptuous that Network Rail is proposing to build a ramped bridge again at Wareham station when three similar schemes have failed.
'You can't ask mothers on a wet, cold, terrible night to take their children on a road that is extremely busy.
'It is not just unfair, but criminally bad.'
Vikki Slade, the Liberal Democrat MP for Poole & Mid Dorset, described Mr Fox's campaigning efforts as 'brilliant' and felt it was 'completely ridiculous' that the issue had not been resolved.
The MP, who said she had already met Network Rail and Dorset Council to raise her constituents' concerns, said she was 'determined' to come to a solution for the people of Wareham.
Mr Fox's concerns were also echoed by other local figures including Marian Cotton, the Mayor of Wareham.
Mr Fox (pictured on the crossing), said it was 'extraordinary and particularly presumptuous' that Network Rail is proposing to build a ramped bridge at Wareham station for the third time
Pictured: the current plan for a modern ramped bridge
Mr Fox, who first rose to international fame in 1973 for his role as The Jackal in BAFTA award winning film The Day of the Jackal, has lived near the picturesque town since 1982
She said: 'I was shocked and disappointed to find out that Dorset Council is proposing to close the level crossing and replace it with ramps or lifts without consulting the town council or local community.
'These options have already been looked into and discarded. We were promised that automatic gates would be fully investigated but this has not happened.
'This town cannot be divided.'
Wareham's 'honoured townswoman' Carol Turner, who has been using the crossing for over 70 years, said: 'The residents of Wareham feel that an enormous injustice has been done by extinguishing their rights of way.
'We vehemently feel that the proposal we are faced with today would add to this injustice and it is not right for our town and not what we signed up for.'
Dorset Council said the current level crossing costs the taxpayer ÂŁ120,000 a year because they have to employ crossing attendants.
Jon Andrews, the council's cabinet member for place services, described the current arrangement as 'unsustainable, both practically and financially'.
Mr Andrews added: 'Previous councils and key stakeholders have discussed the situation and debated potential solutions for many years, but the time has come to act.
Jon Andrews, the council's cabinet member for place services, described the current crossing as 'unsustainable, both practically and financially', costing the taxpayer ÂŁ120,000 a year (Pictured: Wareham Railway Station)
Network Rail said they recognised the 'strong attachment' of the Wareham community to the level crossing at their railway station after acting icon Edward Fox led the charge against it
'Working together now, we can enable everyone to safely cross the railway and get the best outcome for the Wareham community in the future.'
Network Rail said they recognised the 'strong attachment' the Wareham community had to the level crossing at their railway station after acting icon Edward Fox led the charge against it.
They also acknowledged the 'contentious' nature of the proposed change.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: 'The safety of our passengers, residents and colleagues is our number one priority and the most effective way of removing risk at Wareham is to close the crossing entirely.
'The crossing has a history of misuse, to the point where our regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), issued us an improvement notice which led to the introduction of electronic gates and crossing attendants, funded by Dorset Council.
'Network Rail and the ORR are fully aligned that any alternative must be safer and put public safety first, and a recent independent report said only a full closure and replacement with an accessible bridge with lifts or ramps would remove the safety risk entirely.
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