PLANS to decommission a BP rail terminal as part of moves to reconnect Swanage to the national rail network have suffered a setback.

The Furzebrook rail terminal is being transferred into the ownership of Dorset County Council which has already bought three trains to use on the line.

BP is looking at the possibility of relocating staff to the terminal building and it is also investigating possible safety risks of the community railway on the rest of its Wytch Farm operation.

This will set back the site decommissioning programme and in turn the negotiations between the county council and BP for the transfer of ownership of the rail sidings.

Furzebrook rail terminal was used by BP for transporting liquid petroleum gas by rail until its deliveries were switched to road transport.

Grant Evans of BP said: "We have to make sure any future use dos not affect the safety of our staff."

"We will need to retain the building for our use for emergency response but there are empty rooms.

"We have staff working in temporary Portakabins so we are looking at better use of the building for our staff."

Dorset County Council is still waiting for a decision on possible government funding for the rail reconnection. The cost of upgrading the line with signalling is estimated to be up to £4 million.

Tim Westwood of Dorset County Council said: "We are hopeful to recommence the campaign, as the Purbeck Railway Partnership, to try and extract money from the Department for Transport.

"It is that element we want to pursue so we can create a community railway."

First published: September 1, 2005