Link station plans take step forward (From Ledbury Reporter)

Link station plans take step forward

9:00am Tuesday 4th September 2012 in Ledbury By Robert Hale

AMBITIOUS plans to improve Malvern Link railway station have come a step closer to reality as a planning application has been submitted.

The station dates back to 1859, but the original Victorian station buildings were demolished in the late 1960s.

The plan is to demolish existing waiting room and ticket office buildings, and to create new buildings on both platforms, with canopies to provide shelter for passengers.

A new disabled access on to the Worcester platform is also envisaged off Osborne Road.

Unlike the existing wooden buildings, the replacements will be made of masonry finished with stone with slate roofs, to match the local surroundings and the existing stone walls.

They will be designed to “emulate the railway architecture of the original buildings”.

There will also be work to improve the car park, repair the wrought-iron fencing, bring in period details, refurbish existing lamps and install new ones.

The £500,000 plan comes from Worcestershire County Council, which has received £14.3 million from the Department of Transport to help implement the changes.

Before putting in the application, the county council carried out a public consultation, to which 108 people responded.

A total of 77 gave their support, two were against and 29 did not state a firm preference.

One comment recorded in the consultation document is: “At last! Having two wooden sheds as station buildings does not give a very good impression.

These improvements will be a welcome change from the current rather dreary and unwelcoming station.”

Another said: “Just what Malvern Link station needs to justify its beautiful location next to common.”

Peter Clements, of Friends of Malvern’s Railways, said: “We’re in favour of the spirit of this project. Initially, the plan was just to renovate, but they decided on something more ambitious.”