Council welcomes East Lancashire Railway partnership announcement

The expansion of Rawtenstall Station is a step closer after the East Lancashire Railway appointed a major new partner.

Chair of ELR Mike Kelly announced on his blog that they had formed a partnership with Richard Shuttleworth from Equilibrium Architects to move the expansion of the station forward.

Mr Kelly also announced the appointment of Booth-King as structural engineers.The proposed £600,000 development of Rawtenstall Station will include a restored heritage station canopy, an extended Buffer Stops Bar, new toilet facilities and a brand new café and a possible education centre for local studies.

Equilibrium will be contributing their design and planning experience to the project.

A planning application is to be submitted in June and if approved, a public funding campaign will be launched.

East Lancashire Railway is used by thousands of people each year. In 2016, visitors numbers to Rawtenstall Station increased by 20 per cent, with more than 8000 people using the station.

Stuart Sugarman, Chief Executive of Rossendale Council, said: “A redeveloped Rawtenstall Station is exciting news for the town and the borough. There is of course a long way to go before the expansion is completed but this latest announcement shows things are moving. Council officers have been and will be working closely with ELR.

“We have many great attractions here in Rossendale and easy access to the East Lancashire Railway is another one. We have a lot of things to be proud of here and many things in the pipeline.

Mr Kelly said on his blog: “This is a major development for the ELR and Rawtenstall. We are delighted to be partnering with Equilibrium on our Rawtenstall Station development. Their vast design and planning experience, combined with their understanding of the importance of railway heritage and the local area, made them the ideal choice for this very important Rawtenstall project. We look forward to working with them to bring our vision to life.”