Railway station overhaul plans revised over cost

Local officials met with former Transport Secretary Mark Harper (third left) in 2023 to discuss plans for Kidsgrove Railway Station

Plans to modernise a train station have been revised by council bosses after their previous scheme hit the buffers.

Leaders at Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council said the £2.7m project for Kidsgrove station was a viable alternative to higher-cost proposals scrapped due to a lack of funding to deal with historical mining issues.

Kidsgrove Town Deal board has now backed the scaled-back scheme, which involves renovation of the main building, Island Building and wider site improvements.

The new proposals remove the need for extensive ground investigations after ambitions for a transport interchange and larger car park were dropped.

Council leader Simon Tagg, who is vice-chair of the town deal board, said the scheme was strategically important.

"It ties together all the other transformative schemes – like the reopening of Kidsgrove sports centre, new pump track at Newchapel recreation ground, community sports facilities and a business park at Chatterley Valley West," he said.

He added it would help with the creation of a more accessible town centre.

"At the moment, the facility is outdated and doesn't encourage train travel," he said.

"Now that we know that the initial plans are unworkable, the inherent danger is maintaining the status quo, which is in no-one's interests."

'Outdated'

The full works programme now involves refurbing the main station building's waiting room, toilet facilities and kitchen.

It will also include new windows and doors, timber cladding, an air source heat pump and solar panels.

The Island Building will see a renovated waiting room and the creation of a community space.

There will also be a new car park layout, plus a new cycle store and access improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.

A detailed design could be available in spring 2026, with the work completed by 2027, the authority said.