A number of community groups have come together to work on ambitious plans to convert a former railway station building in Gedling village into a youth centre and community hub.
The Gedling Youth Club Management Committee, Gedling Village Preservation Society and Friends of Gedling Station this week revealed new plans, which have been brought to life by Nottingham-based architect Simon Middlecote.
The group hope to remove the now-decrepit former gymnasium building and fully restore the old station building on Shearing Hill to its former glory and also renovate the grounds.
The community groups are now seeking backing from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Nottinghamshire County Council’s Local Improvement Scheme to help fund the new venture. They also hope people in the local area will back the plans by donating to a crowdfunding scheme – which is set to be launched shortly.
Chairman of the Gedling Youth Club Management Committee, Francis Rodrigues said local people were keen that the station building now becomes an asset to the community.
He said: “There was huge public support to save the former youth club and station from residential development and the three local groups coming together reflect that support.
“For the past eight months the groups have been working to plan the renovation of the former Gedling Station. Our aims and ambition is to renovate and restore the Victorian station building and site and use it as a young persons’ centre and community hub and heritage Centre.”
” We asked Nottingham-based architect Simon Middlecote to create some exciting plans and drawings of what the site could look like. Once restored, the old station would once again be used by local young people, along with the wider local population, as a heritage centre and community hub, which could possibly have a cafe or tea room. Local groups would be able to use this facility for a wide range of activities and meetings.
“A Crowd Funding scheme is to be launched soon so that anyone wishing to contribute, financially, to the plans can do so directly to the project.”
The new designs will soon be be displayed on the group’s website as will a “fly-through” of the plan which has been designed by students from Nottingham Trent University (NTU), which the group says demonstrates their commitment to young people.
The Gedling Station building was opened by the Great Northern Railway back in 1874. It closed in 1960 to passengers and reopened as the Gedling District Youth Club in 1967. The Youth club was shut down in 2012 and the building was on the market, with plans to use the site for housing. Campaigners stepped in and last year it was announced the building was to be saved and a future use would be found.
Spring clean
The Gedling Youth Club Committee are one of the group’s taking part in the “Big Gedling Spring Clean”. They will be cleaning up the Gedling Station site on Shearing Hill from 10am to 2pm. It is planned to empty the accumulated “junk” to give the project a boost. Volunteers are welcome. Gedling Borough Council who are sponsoring the borough wide “Big Spring Clean” initiative are providing equipment.
