Preston railway station: Revamp plan for Grade II listed roof

Removing some of the cast iron items was the "first step" to make sure the station "retains its heritage", Network Rail says

A multimillion-pound revamp of a railway station roof is planned after cast iron adornments plunged on to the platforms and track below.

Network Rail has asked the council for permission to remove some features from the Grade II listed structure at Preston railway station.

A report said ironwork "failures" posed "a risk to passengers".

Removing them would be the "first step" in retaining the station's heritage, it added.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said a date for the work had not been revealed but the aim was to get a better understanding of what was involved when the entire roof was refurbished.

Network Rail, which is responsible for railway infrastructure, described the "failures" of some of the ironwork in recent years as posing "a risk to passengers" and demonstrated the "deterioration of the roof", in a report submitted to council planners.

The report was part of an application for consent to carry out works to a listed building and stated that a number of cast iron "pendants", located on the main roof trusses, had fallen or appeared at risk of doing so.

'Defective drainage'

There was also corrosion in locations exposed to the weather or regular wetting through defective drainage and leaks, it added.

The station, which opened in 1838, was closed in February 2022 when roofing became loose during Storm Eunice.

"Following the failures... temporary supports have been implemented to mitigate the risk of any further catastrophic failures of some of the decorative cast iron elements," the report said.

Network Rail says sections of the roof were damaged in storms

Network Rail said it had been "making ongoing repairs" to the station's roof after some sections were damaged "during strong winds and storms".

"This has involved detailed condition surveys and securing corroded parts of the roof with temporary supports ahead of a multimillion-pound overhaul in the near future."

The firm said the trial removal of some of the original cast ironwork was "the first step" to make sure the Grade II listed structure retained its heritage features while allowing engineers to plan "the full repair job across the whole roof when the time comes".

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