Case Study - Richmond Station Regeneration Project

Programme: Heritage Grants
Applicant: Richmondshire Building Preservation Trust
Grant awarded: £690,000
Project length: Aug 2006-Nov 2007

Richmond Station - printable (MS Word, 653KB)

Summary

The Richmondshire Building Preservation Trust acquired Richmond Station in order to restore the building and to guarantee its future. Richmond Station is a Grade II* listed railway building which was unoccupied from 2001, but maintained in good repair by Richmondshire District Council.

In 2007 the Station re-opened as an auditorium for a cinema, a conference/meeting room, a restaurant, six commercial workshop units, three business offices, a Heritage Room, and other large exhibition spaces.

Exhibitions with artefacts, documents and oral history recordings help the public understand the building and its history. The Trust has solid community support, and the Station is managed and run by volunteers. It has 350,000 visitors a year. The income from the various enterprises cover 90% of costs, with shortfalls made up from events run by volunteers.

The aims of the project

To preserve the station building as a heritage asset
To bring the station back into good use based on leisure provision
To make the building accessible to the public and available for community use
To help people to appreciate and enjoy the building, and to understand its social, economic and cultural significance in the development of the area

Benefits for heritage

A locally significant building has been restored and given a sustainable future
New building in the engine shed is reversible and does not obscure internal features
The public have access to a listed building which is interpreted for them
Memorabilia and oral history recordings have been collected and are accessible
A website was created to inform the public about the restoration work

Benefits for people

Local people (2000) informed the provision of the leisure and community facilities
The Station is accessible to all, including hearing impaired people
Volunteers played a major part in the project. The restoration was managed by a small team of five. Around 70 volunteers and others run the exhibitions, community activities and events, staff the reception area and maintain the garden
A Volunteer Co-ordinator post (unpaid) has been created and there is a training programme for the volunteer team
There is a regular programme of events and clubs, such as a mothers and toddlers group, and occasional projects and holiday activities are held for schoolchildren
Local artists exhibit work at The Station, with around 12 exhibitions a year
40 FTE jobs have been created

Lessons learnt

The Trust found that sending local political leaders and prospective funders a DVD clearly describing what they wanted to achieve, followed up by a personal visit, was effective in getting their message understood

Long term benefits

The Station is a commercial asset for the town, and increases tourism
The Station’s website offers information about The Station’s history as well as community programmes and activities.

The budget

Main Project Costs	£	Funding	£
Building and repairs	1,449,852	Other grants/cash	1,638,000
Interpretation	58,000	HLF grant (30%)	690,000
		Total costs	2,328,438

Ground floor restaurant and exhibition space in the station

Sector

Industry, Maritime and Transport

Activity

Participation