Call to halt station demolition at Trimley, Suffolk

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

A national charity is urging Network Rail to halt plans which could see the demolition of a Victorian Suffolk station building.

Trimley Station, near Felixstowe, was recently included on the Victorian Society's most endangered buildings in the country. The Society highlights the "benefits of restoring the station" built in 1891.

Network Rail welcomed any plans to save the station, but said the building was structurally unsound. A Network Rail spokesperson said the station is due "to be pulled down at the end of the year".

"Ongoing discussions have taken place with Trimley Parish Council and English Heritage and Network Rail welcome any plans to save the station," she said. "Unfortunately Network Rail do not have funding available for this project."

Alex Baldwin, conservation adviser with the Society, said in a letter to Network Rail: "We hope that Network Rail will...postpone plans to demolish the building and continue to work together with local campaigners to find a way to secure the future of the building."

He added: "The station is currently in a poor state of repair but it has the potential to enhance the character and appearance of the local area. Simple buildings such as this one are an important part of our heritage and to demolish the station would be an unnecessary waste."

He said a friends group has now been established for the station and it is willing to take on the burden of sourcing funding, carrying out the work and finding a new use for the building.

The Society is urging Network Rail to give them more time to do this.