Brandon Station: Heritage group's call to save listed building

The roof of the former ticket office is also home to a protected species of bat

A heritage group said it was "extremely concerned" by plans to partially demolish a listed building at a railway station.

Greater Anglia said the disused ticket office at Brandon Station in Suffolk was "at potential risk of collapse".

A report recommended removing the roof "as an emergency measure" to stabilise it, the rail company said.

Campaign group, SAVE Britain's Heritage, said partial demolition "must be the last resort".

The group said it had enlisted Ed Morton, a "highly experienced historic building engineer", to assess the building's condition and options for stabilisation.

"The focus should be on fixing the roof, not demolishing it," director Henrietta Billings said.

The station is believed to have been designed by sculptor John Thomas

A platform has been closed at the station due to the building's potential risk of collapse. Greater Anglia said passengers heading towards Norwich were affected as trains were unable to stop.

The station was built in 1845 and in 1968 it featured in an episode of Dad's Army, which was filmed locally. The ticket office closed in the 1970s.

A spokeswoman for Greater Anglia said: "It has been proposed to remove the roof as an emergency measure and contractors attended the site with demolition experts to determine how a safe system of work can be put in place to undertake that process.

"As it is a listed building, we are liaising with several organisations, including the local planning authority and Breckland Council's building controls officer, to ensure that all relevant factors are taken into account.

"We will also engage with Natural England as the roof is home to a protected species of bat, who are currently in their hibernation period."