Westmorland and Furness Council planning officers have approved plans that will allow restoration and refurbishment of the Grade II listed station House at Penrith Railway Station, paving the way for a new café and multi-functional community space to be created by Network rail.
The red sandstone grade II listed structure dates back to 1846 when the station was built and the railway arrived in Penrith, will undergo internal renovations to accommodate a café on the ground floor, a linked multi-functional room on the first floor, and private staff areas on the second floor.
The project aims to bring the currently vacant and deteriorating building back into use at the station.
Council planning officers concluded that any harm to the listed building is minimal and outweighed by the benefits of restoring the structure and providing a viable new use.
Penrith Town Council backed the proposal, saying that the design should remain sympathetic to the listed building and that existing parking should be maintained.
One objection was raised by a resident from Cattelan who said “Penrith is a small town with few independent businesses. There are few places in this town that offer anything new or different to tourists. Why visit Penrith if it has the same cafes to offer as every other town in the country? Building this cafe would run yet another coffee business out of Penrith town centre. Fell and Bean has been operating outside the station successfully for over a year now and has a respectable client base who enjoy the coffees and supporting a local independent business. Disgusting this is even being considered and sets Penrith back yet again.”
A spokesperson for the project said “The refurbishment will have a positive heritage impact, restoring areas of the building that have been damaged or altered to designs more appropriate to its historical character. This work will extend the building's life and help prevent further deterioration.”
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