Fingers crossed for rail station building plans
FINGERS are crossed to see if exciting plans to transform Henley Railway Station building get the green light.
Volunteers who’ve worked on the project for the past three years hope the finish line is insight which will see the building converted into a micro-brewery and community hall if planning permission is granted by the district council.
Almost 40 years has passed since the building closed its doors to passengers but work to clean-up and restore the site continues with a proposed mixed-use microbrewery and community hall becoming the project’s showpiece.
“It’s one of those things we’ve anticipated with great excitement,” said Chris Duffin, secretary of Friends of Henley Railway Station. “We’ve got everything we have to do in place. The funding, the plans, the architect now we just need a bit of paper that gives us the go ahead.”
While Henley station still functions for rail users, the station building hasn’t been used for decades.
“It was in an awful state when we got inside,” said Chris. “It was vandalised, walls and ceilings were smashed, it was a right mess so we started cleaning the place up and removed all the rubble. We’ve spent hours and hours on this and we don’t get paid a penny but we are talking about a derelict building being bought back to life and we’re hoping to start work next month.”
If approved, the new-look building will incorporate a community hall, a café, meeting area, a microbrewery, toilets, a cycle store and an electric vehicle charge point.
The existing building is thought to be of early 20th century design and was originally built to accommodate a station master, a ticket office and waiting areas.
There are also plans to promote more tourists along the route of the Shakespeare Line, which has many stations within the Warwickshire catchment area.
Like many towns, Henley struggles with car parking and it’s hoped the project will actively encourage more visitors to enjoy the heritage of villages and towns and travel by rail, thus reducing carbon emissions.
Details in the planning application state the station building is not listed, is not in a conservation area and does have disabled access. Masonry will be retained where possible but any decaying internal timber will be replaced.
The target date for determination of the application - which was submitted to the district council last month - is 8th March.
