A NEW railway station at Low Moor, Bradford, remains on track to open on time next year, with an offer to secure the last piece of land required for the £10.5 million development now set to be accepted.

Bradford Council and Metro, part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), are working together on the project, scheduled to open in December, 2015, but construction of the new station and platform buildings was dependent upon land being acquired from third parties.

In April, a Council report revealed that the owner of a plot of land needed to accommodate the Halifax-bound platform on the south side of the Caldervale line had "declined to engage" with the authorities involved, suggesting a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) may be required to force through any sale.

However, a new report, due to go before the council's Environment and Waste Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday, states that an offer for the site from the WYCA and Bradford Council has now been "recommended for acceptance" by the Receiver who put the land on the open market last year.

The report states: "It is anticipated that all land required for the station scheme will be in the ownership of WYCA by the end of the year," with compulsory purchase powers remaining as only as a "fall-back position" should any negotiations fail.

According to the report, Network Rail has now been appointed to facilitate a contractor to deliver the station platforms, 131-space car park and pedestrian access elements of the scheme, with a 'Design and Build' model set to be used to reduce costs and time delays.

Bradford Council's executive member for planning and transport, Councillor Val Slater, said: "I understand an offer for the land has now been accepted, although the option of compulsory purchase is still there.

"You can never be 100 per cent sure, but it is certainly good news and I just hope there are no legal delays.

"We are now in the hands of Network Rail, and we must keep on top of that, but things are looking promising and the people in Bradford South should soon have the connection they want."

The new station, which received planning permission in May, is being built off New Works Road, Low Moor, with a link to the Spen Valley Greenway cycle route, and has been designed to improve public transport facilities from the south of the district to Bradford city centre, Leeds, Halifax, Brighouse and beyond.

The new report also recommends that future project updates be referred back to the Council's Bradford South Area Committee for consideration.