THE public were last week invited to express their views over proposals to reinstate the 5.5-mile Tavistock to Bere Alston railway line.

Devon County Council organised the 'information days' held at Tavistock Pannier Market and the town hall last Thursday and one in Bere Alston on Friday — and said feedback would be taken into account in planning of the ambitious project.

The multi-million pound scheme has identified Monksmead, off the Callington Road, to be developed for a mixture of 750 new homes, employment units, open space and community facilities — with the railway line playing an integral part in the plans.

In return, house builders Bovis Homes, who are currently working on an outline planning application for the Monksmead development, would fund the railway line.

The line, part of the old London South Western Railway from London to Plymouth was closed in 1968 as part of the Government's axing of many branch rail lines, recommended under the Beeching report.

At the information day people were asked to fill out a questionnaire asking their level of support or opposition to reinstating the Tavistock-Bere Alston railway line and the provision of an off-road cycle track.

Under the proposals a new station in the Callington Road area of Tavistock would include facilities for passengers as well as parking, cycle storage and links to local bus services to ensure good access to the town centre.

The existing station at Bere Alston would also be upgraded.

The aspiration is eventually to have an hourly service between Tavistock and Plymouth.

However, although the restoration of the rail-link is broadly welcomed by many there are doubts and concerns over the scale of housing which would be required to bring the project to fruition.

The project to re-open the line is included in West Devon Borough Council's Core Strategy, which was adopted in April 2011, setting out where future development will be located in the borough.

Devon County Council said it had underlined the importance of this project by identifying it for investment over the next 15 years in the Local Transport Plan.

As the former railway line was double track, the council is also looking to open a cycle route alongside the railway.

The county council says that connecting Tavistock to Plymouth rail has a number of benefits for West Devon, including improving traffic options for residents and businessess.

At the roadshow Devon County Council transport planners George Marshall and Matthew Barnes, along with Ralph Ellis from Plymouth City Council answered questions and listened to public opinions.

Mr Marshall, a transport planner with the county council, said: 'Connecting Tavistock to Plymouth by rail has a number of benefits for residents and businesses and Devon County Council aspires to link up Tavistock with the rail national network. It will also bring relief to the amount of traffic on the A386.

'There have been a lot of positive comments from people here today and some suggesting that it should never have been taken away in the first place.

'Many people have been asking about the number of services and a lot of questions on the costs of fares and interest in the relationship between the railway and the cycle route.

'This is the first public consultation on the railway and we will collect the feedback and take people's views on board.'

Mr Ellis said: 'Plymouth City Council is broadly supportive of the project, especially if it helps to reduce the traffic congesting the A386 and it will be a more environmentally friendly way to travel to Plymouth.

'It can only be good for tourism, not just for Plymouth but Tavistock and the Tamar Valley.'

Although there are no plans to extend any proposed Bere-Alston to Tavistock line onward to Okehampton Mr Ellis added that the recent floods at Cowley Bridge near Exeter before Christmas, which caused major disruption to the Plymouth-London line, and the problems of exposure to the sea at Dawlish and Teignmouth, showed that a real 'alternative' to the current route was needed.

The county council plans to hold more public consultations concerning the Tavistock to Bere Alston rail link sometime in the future.