A group of volunteers will transform a derelict building at Mytholmroyd Station in West Yorkshire into a community centre that provides studio space for local artists, after they secured almost £300,000 of funding.
Mytholmroyd Station Partnership, run by Geoff and Sue Mitchell, have been working on plans to redevelop and reopen the old station building for 17 years but they have been hit by a number of setbacks, including severe flooding and the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the group are confident they can complete the project and welcome the first tenants within the next 12 months, after they were awarded £293,193 by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in the third round of the Community Ownership Fund in March.
Mr Mitchell, chairman of the group, said the Grade II listed building has stood empty for 40 years but it will soon become a creative centre for Mytholmroyd and space on all three floors will be rented out to locals.
He added: “We are delighted to have secured this funding from the government after years of hard work.
“The building has become a sad sight since it was closed and boarded up, so we can’t wait to complete the renovation and reopen it for the people of Mytholmroyd.”
Northern operates the station, which welcomes over 200,000 passengers a year, and it helped volunteers submit the application to DLUHC.
Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern, said: “We’re proud to have helped these dedicated volunteers secure the funding they need to bring their dream to life, after 17 years of hard work and perseverance.
“It will be fantastic to see them transform this old station building into a community centre that can be enjoyed by local people.”
Opened in 1874 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, the station building next to Platform 2 contained a booking hall, waiting rooms, a station master’s office and a ticket collector’s office.
But after it was closed and boarded up in 1984, the building fell into disrepair and was frequently targeted by vandals.
Since 2007, Mytholmroyd Station Partnership have been working on plans to redevelop and reopen it.
Network Rail began the renovation and made the building structurally sound in 2018, after receiving contributions from Historic England and the Railway Heritage Trust. It then offered a 25-year lease to Mytholmroyd Station Partnership.
The group set up a charitable incorporated organisation, called The Station Building, Mytholmroyd, which submitted the funding application to DLUHC.
They are now working to complete the renovation with the funding they secured to ensure the building has electricity, heating and running water.
Northern has a long-running programme called ‘Stations as a Place’ that aims to develop local stations on its network as community hubs rather than just an access point onto the rail network.
Businesses interested in current spaces for hire at Northern stations should visit: www.northernrailway.co.uk/about-us/community.
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.
