THE owner of Poole Park Railway has now been told he will be able to keep the track in place after a petition to save it received 6,000 signatures in less than 24 hours.

When it was revealed the miniature railway would close while the lease was put out for tender, its owner, Chris Bullen, told the Daily Echo he had been given until March 1 to dismantle it, following a meeting with the Borough of Poole.

This prompted thousands of supporters of the railway to sign a petition to save the track from removal, with many concerned that if the track had to be rebuilt, fencing would need to be erected both sides to meet current health and safety requirements.

However, in an apparent U-turn by the council, Mr Bullen has now been told he will be able to keep the track in place during the tender process.

In a live radio interview yesterday, Cllr John Rampton said Mr Bullen had got “the wrong end of the stick” due to the hurried nature of proceedings.

He insisted the council was not asking him to remove the track at this time as he owns it, but if he was unsuccessful in tendering for the lease, “we might, at that point, ask him to remove it because, obviously, it would be on Borough of Poole land”.

In response to this, Mr Bullen said he was “absolutely gobsmacked”.

Speaking to the Daily Echo afterwards, he said: “I was told the tendering process required a “blank canvas” during a meeting with the council.

“I’m overjoyed that the council have decided to allow us to leave Poole Park Railway as it is until the tendering process is complete. I wanted them to act sensibly about this, and I’m glad they are now.

“We will definitely tender for the railway and are inviting any interested people to contact us so we can establish what it is the people want to see for their railway for the next 70 years.

“We’ll be holding a public meeting in the next seven days, and anyone who wants to get involved can contact us on our Facebook page, Save Poole Park Railway.

“The railway is a big community-spirited thing so, whether we win the tender or not, we’ll give it our best shot.”

A spokesperson for the council added: “As discussed on the 10am BBC Radio Solent piece between Cllr John Rampton and Mr Bullen, the track belongs to Mr Bullen. The tendering process will go ahead with the track in situ (which still belongs to Mr Bullen) and, if he does not win the tender, then he still has the right to remove it as it is his.

“If there are any changes made to the railway, Borough of Poole and the concessionaire will be mindful of guidance on miniature railways.”

Poole Park Railway opened in 1949, and thousands of people have visited the attraction every year since. The line runs for 700 yards around the lake and over a bridge. Mr Bullen has been running the railway since 2004 and is its third operator.