Plans to re-open Law Station off the rails?

So says the village’s veteran SNP councillor David Shearer who has been critical of his own party’s South Lanarkshire Council administration for not allocating cash from a housing development ‘windfall’ in the village towards restoration of rail services.

These ceased when Law Junction Station fell victim to the infamous Beeching Cuts in 1965, bringing to an end services which had been running since the former Caledonian Railway Company built the four-platform station in 1880.

For the past 53 years, Law villagers have had to watch the trains pass them by on the Lanark to Glasgow line; if they want to board a train, they either have to travel to Carluke or Wishaw Stations.

There have been repeated calls for the re-opening of the station and hopes were raised in the 1990’s that the develelopers of the planned huge new private housing estate on the grounds of the former Law Hospital might pay for it.

However, that development has yet to become a reality.

Recently Persimmons, which has already built an estate in the village, applied for planning permission to build a second one and offered money under ‘planing gain’ rules for new facilities for the community.

Councillor Shearer suggested part of it go as ‘seed money’ for a re-born station but this was rejected in favour of a recommendation by officials the cash go to North Lanarkshire Council to maintain a road serving Garrion Bridge.

Councillor Shearer said: “I was hoping the days of slavishly following officials recommendations were over when the SNP took over the admnistration last year but no. I thought the wishes of local councillors would have been treated more seriously.”

The Gazette has contacted the council for comment.