Salhouse station building saved

[w0033944]

Local newspapers website reports that a planning application from GA to demolish the platform building at Salhouse on the Bittern Line has been rejected after having been initially given the go-ahead late last year following a campaign to preserve it:

https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/new...BZxoVrwZv9LFQ_64XPNnTTeBkT7WFRLJ1zbcwWbESbRS4

Greater Anglia application to demolish train station thrown out​

Ben Hardy



Published: 8:00 AM January 18, 2022
Updated: 12:58 PM January 18, 2022



SAVE Britain’s Heritage has stepped in after plans were approved to demolish Salhouse Station. - Credit: SAVE Britain's Heritage/Gerard Stamp




Plans to demolish an historic railway station one stop from Norwich have been quashed.
Greater Anglia had secured planning permission in October 2021 to tear down the nineteenth century platform building at Salhouse Station.

The train company had intended to construct new waiting shelters in place of the vacant building citing estimated costs of £250,000 to save the building.



But legal action by SAVE Britain’s Heritage has secured a reprieve for one of the smallest stations on the railway network.


SAVE has also submitted an application for the urgent listing of Salhouse Station as a building of special architectural and historic interest.
The independent conservation voice is now working with the Norfolk Historic Buildings Trust on a proposal for the repair and reuse of the building.

Salhouse Parish Council had previously discussed ways of raising the funds for repairs for the dilapidated building before SAVE stepped in.










Henrietta Billings, director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage said: “This programme of bulldozing our rural Victorian railway heritage must stop. Replacing these historic buildings with bland bus shelter canopies is a loss for everyone.


Henrietta Billings, from SAVE Britain's Heritage. Pic: SAVE Britain's Heritage. - Credit: SAVE Britain's Heritage
"Visitors and passenger alike love these 19th century railway buildings which chart the travelling history of our railways and the people who built them. We call on Greater Anglia to celebrate these buildings and look after them as assets to treasure.

Greater Anglia has said it is considering its options regarding the future of the building since the Broadland District Council decision was quashed.

The train company did not lodge an appeal against the decision.


An artist impression of what the waiting shelters could look like at Salhouse - Credit: Greater Anglia
A spokeswoman for Greater Anglia said: "As yet, no future sustainable use has been identified for it nor any funding to restore it or support its maintenance.









"While the canopy attached to the single-storey building on the Norwich-bound platform at Salhouse still provides some shelter, the building itself has not been used for more than 50 years. It is not listed.

“Our improvement plans for Salhouse include installing two sustainable shelters, which would significantly improve waiting facilities for passengers.”




A map showing the Bittern Line with Salhouse being the first station north of Norwich when travelling to Cromer and Sheringham - Credit: Contributed
Melton Constable Trust, which manages the Norfolk Orbital Railway project, also objected to the demolition plans.

 

[TheEdge]

Wonderful.

So like every other unremarkable structure these groups "save" solely on the basis of them being old or the very bizarre obsession that its foreign companies trying to destroy our heritage it'll now gradually fall into dereliction anyway. Just a quick line up of GA examples;

Attleborough: "saved", still empty despite actually being in good order and good location.
Brandon: "saved", considerably more derelict than it was when it was touted it would be a great asset for the community.
Salhouse: "saved", already derelict anyway and basically no more than a glorified wall to hold the small canopy up.

What irks about this is there are three at risk station buildings on the Sheringham branch, Salhouse, Worsted and Cromer. Salhouse isn't even the main building, its a tiny ex-waiting room and is already pretty derelict. Worsted is bigger but its still not the main building. Possibly viable as a small house or boutique shop. The one these groups don't seem bothered about is the one thats easily the most value, the huge ex-M&GN station building at Cromer. Its been empty for years and as well is gradually falling into disrepair. As I understand its owned by Morrisons and they'll have it down in a flash if they get the chance.

 

[w0033944]

Wonderful.

So like every other unremarkable structure these groups "save" solely on the basis of them being old or the very bizarre obsession that its foreign companies trying to destroy our heritage it'll now gradually fall into dereliction anyway. Just a quick line up of GA examples;

Attleborough: "saved", still empty despite actually being in good order and good location.
Brandon: "saved", considerably more derelict than it was when it was touted it would be a great asset for the community.
Salhouse: "saved", already derelict anyway and basically no more than a glorified wall to hold the small canopy up.

What irks about this is there are three at risk station buildings on the Sheringham branch, Salhouse, Worsted and Cromer. Salhouse isn't even the main building, its a tiny ex-waiting room and is already pretty derelict. Worsted is bigger but its still not the main building. Possibly viable as a small house or boutique shop. The one these groups don't seem bothered about is the one thats easily the most value, the huge ex-M&GN station building at Cromer. Its been empty for years and as well is gradually falling into disrepair. As I understand its owned by Morrisons and they'll have it down in a flash if they get the chance.

Point taken, and I agree regarding the station building at Cromer Beach - a long-time friend of my dad (I've known him all my life) is, like dad and me, a railway modeller, and one of the layouts he constructed is of Cromer Beach in the '50s, so I have a great affecton for the remaining architecture there.

 

[Cantab26]

I have not looked into the particular circumstances in any great detail, but as far as I am aware there could be an easy workaround to demolish this building if Greater Anglia are quick about it. I am surprised that they didn’t use it in the first instance, frankly.

 

[Revilo]

I for one am very pleased to see the building saved. Having visited it last year, it’s a charming building and it would have been a real shame for it to have been demolished.

 

[yorksrob]

It's good that it and the canopy has been saved. I find a platform canopy far better to stand under in the rain than the usual bus shelter.

 

[pdeaves]

Are the people who campaigned for saving willing to find or fund a tenant? Or is it now someone else's problem and money?

 

[TheEdge]

I for one am very pleased to see the building saved. Having visited it last year, it’s a charming building and it would have been a real shame for it to have been demolished.

Is it? From the platform facing side its just a wall with some covered doors and windows, walk onto the lane behind the station and you'll see the roof is in an awful state and there are chunks of wall missing.

It's good that it and the canopy has been saved. I find a platform canopy far better to stand under in the rain than the usual bus shelter.

A compromise could be demolish the utterly useless building but just leave the canopy and now false front wall standing with some piles holding it up. Same exact facilities for the passenger but without the pointless building.

Are the people who campaigned for saving willing to find or fund a tenant? Or is it now someone else's problem and money?

Pahaha, quite the comedian! No, they'll move onto the next campaign and "save" another building, much like they did with Brandon and Attleborough. Another one round here is Trimley on the Felixstowe branch, "saved" for the community in 2011. The trees growing out of the massive missing bits of roof in 2022 beg to differ. All that will happen is that GA/GBR/NR (so the taxpayer...) will have to waste money trying to keep these useless buildings standing until they are in such poor state they either collapse on their own or get demolished as dangerous structures.