Ridgmont Station
Ridgmont station has one of the few historical station houses
left on the Marston Vale Line, and is a fine example of railway
architecture. In recent years, the station house has fallen into a
state of disrepair.
The Community Rail Partnership, however, sees significant potential
for this building, and we want to breath new life back into it. Our
Action Plan for 2007/08 included work to determine the potential
for bringing the building back into use as a community facility, as
well as being the Community Rail Partnership's main office.
Progress to date
We have already made significant progress on this project to
date:
June 2007 - Site inspection by Silverlink Trains, and
preliminary report produced for the CRP
October 2007 - More detailed site inspection by Silverlink,
BRCC, Aleks Simic (surveyor) and Relmfield Builders. Indicative
schedule of works produced, quoted at £250,000. Network Rail
agrees to consider a lease at nominal rent, subject to conditions
and clearance procedures. Mid Beds District Council Conservation
Officer contacted by BRCC.
April 2008 - Ridgmont station included in Bedfordshire
Rural Communities Charity multi-use centres feasibility study.
Detailed survey conducted by Aleks Simic with drawings
May 2008 - Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity submits
bid to Investing in Communities for refurbishment of station
building as Social Enterprise Centre.
June 2008 - £200,000 funding confirmed by Investing
in Communities
Proposals for Social Enterprise Centre
Proposals for Ridgmont station have been based on the multi-use
centre model that Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity explored
in its feasibility study in 07/08. The main elements are:
- 2 multi-functional ground-floor spaces available for hire for
direct service provision (e.g. Childrens Centre outreach services),
meetings, and community activities
- Up to 50 m2 office space across three first-floor rooms for
small-scale / start-up social enterprises
- A small heritage centre and our office
The running costs of the Centre will be covered by rental income
from the meeting room, office space and service areas. Any
surpluses will be re-invested in the Centre.
The next steps
There is plenty of stuff to do before we can open Ridgmont for
business. Our plans for the near future are:
- Site visit with ACoRP and other partners in July
- Planning application to be submitted to Mid Bedfordshire
District Council
- Funding application to be submitted to the Railway Heritage
Trust for the remaining £50,000
- Lease to be negotiated with Network Rail
Watch this space for more information!
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