A modern upgrade to a Ryde train station may not be so modern after all, as councillors ask for a more Victorian feel to the building.
Originally built in 1864 for a horse-drawn tram service, the Ryde Esplanade railway station has been altered heavily since, changing it into the building we know today.
Proposals to adapt the building once again are part of the major £10 million Ryde Interchange works.
They have been put forward by the Isle of Wight council and would connect the station with the pedestrian tramway pier as well as seeing a glass entrance feature, reopen public toilets and a new cafe provision.
Limited by funding
Speaking at the council’s planning committee on Tuesday, where the application was decided, Stewart Chandler, the council’s highways and transport client manager, said the authority would have liked to have done more with the station, but government funding would only allow for refurbishments and not a new building.
The work would retain historic elements of the station and make the most of heritage assets.
Quirk: Proposals would not enhance the Ryde Conservation Area
Cllr Chris Quirk said at the moment, people get off the train and get the impression the Esplanade station is functional rather than historical.
Any work done to the station would make it look better, he said, but the current proposals would not enhance the Ryde Conservation Area.
Majority of changes mainly to 1960’s buildings
Council officers said through planning conditions, the authority can approve the type of materials and colour scheme used on the building so can reflect the heritage nature and tie it into the wider building.
The majority of changes to the station, officers pointed out, were mainly to the parts built in the 1960s and not the Victorian part of building.
However, councillors felt the proposed glass entrance feature was not representative of the Victorian building.
Churchman: Lovely-looking building in the wrong place
Cllr Vanessa Churchman said she thought it was a lovely-looking building but in the wrong place and could not see how it sits on a Victorian esplanade.
She said the entrance feature looks like a sore thumb sitting up in the air.
Spink: Would not necessarily cost more to refurbish the station in a period style
Cllr Peter Spink said the council was missing an opportunity to enhance the appearance and while he appreciated it was a limited budget felt it would not necessarily cost more to refurbish the station in a period style.
Unanimously approved
n was accepted unanimously by the planning committee with changes to permission ensuring external materials used paid special regard to the Victorian character of the conservation area.
All works included in the Ryde Interchange scheme have to be completed by 1st April 2023.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
