A MARKET town's historic railway station is to get a £1.7m facelift to provide new facilities for the conference trade and school visits.
Redevelopment of Grade Two listed Pickering Station, the terminus for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, will include an education and conference centre, archive and library facilities, visitor centre, and roof repairs.
Phil Bustard, marketing man
ager for the railway which attracts some 300,000 visitors a year and is worth £18m a year to the town, said the visitor centre will explain the railway history through displays, archives and a library.
He added: "The station is a lovely building but it does lack facilities for conferences, an education centre for visiting school parties, a visitor centre, and somewhere to meet and greet visitors."
The complex is due to be built behind Platform 2 at the station, which is a popular location for film and television companies.
Restoring the roof will enable the station to be used to house rolling stock and carriages over the winter months. "It will also create a huge area which will be available for the arts and live performances," he added.
The railway dates back to 1836 when it was operated by horse-drawn carriages before becoming a steam railway in 1845.
Funding is being sought from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Yorkshire Forward, and from legacies. Decisions are expected by the end of September. The first phase will be to build the education centre, the second to restore the roof, and the third to create a visitor centre to generate significant additional income.
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