Poole Park gate closure does 'little - if any damage' to railway

Numbers gathered from a Freedom of Information request by the Echo reveal a 14 per cent drop in sales figures for April to August year-on-year. 

But 2024 also saw an 11-day loss of trade due to the railway being out of action compared with seven days the train was not operating in 2023. 

The figures from the FOI show BCP Council took in £75,616 in April to August 2023 compared with £64,888 during the same period this year. 

BH Active Travel chair Lucie Allen said she believes the “negligible” difference year on year could be down to the “awful” weather this year, the derailing and penny pinching during the cost-of-living crisis. 

But she “very much doubts” it is because of the council’s closure of Whitecliff Gates to motor vehicles earlier this year. 

She said: “Most families, if arriving by car, park at the Ark anyway, or by the Jungle Playground, both of which have car parks more easily accessed from the other two entrances. 

“It’s disappointing that there are still people, (and the consultation clearly demonstrated this fact) that mostly drive to the park to drive ‘through’ it, who are not from the immediate local area, who believe that their ‘right’ to drive through a park is more important than the benefits to the people in the park, of less through traffic.  

“Poole Park is still entirely accessible to all users, including motorists and none of the parking has been affected by the gate closure. I struggle to understand how more traffic in a park is good thing.” 

The chair of the active travel advocacy group said BH Active Travel believes the gate closure benefits all park users and that claims it is a “cyclist vs motorist” issue is incorrect. 

But Bob Lister, Leave Poole Park Alone campaigner, disagreed, saying revenue is down because of the Whitecliff gate closure “without a shadow of doubt”. 

He said: “BCP Council has shot itself in the foot, funding the railway. It can’t be down to the train falling off the tracks because that problem has been resolved. 

“The message coming from the council here is people are not using the park because it is closed to cars.” 

Andy Hadley (Image: Daily Echo)

Andy Hadley, cabinet member for the environment, said: “Poole Park Railway has been successfully run by BCP Council for two years, supported by a stable and enthusiastic group of volunteers and we recently welcomed over 800 people to the railway’s 75th anniversary event. 

“As an outdoor attraction, ticket sales of the Poole Park Railway depend very much on the season and other external factors, but the very high income generated this August (the second biggest on record), would suggest that business is good since the closure of the park gates.  

“We thank all our visitors for contributing to the continued success of the railway, and other facilities in Poole Park, and look forward to many more wonderful years of operation in the park.”