Historic railway building owners to discuss plans for site with campaigners

Part of the old ticket office at Pontefract' s Baghill Station has been boarded up for some time and flanked by austere metal fencing, with its state described as "dire".

While one half of the building has been occupied by the DVLA in recent years, the other has fallen victim to vandalism and neglect.

Now Arch Holdings, which bought the building from Network Rail in 2018, says it wants to meet with campaigners in the town to discuss the problem.

Local people and passengers are concerned no progress has been made on site, since concerns were first publicly raised more than two years ago.

Dave Hogg, from Pontefract Civic Society, said: "It is in a state of neglect and disrepair at the moment.

"It needs to be repaired, but repaired sympathetically because it's a Victorian gothic style building and it is important to people.

"It needs a new roof, but again a roof that's in keeping with the rest of the building, not just tiles."

Mr Hogg said making the building fit for a new tenant would be "better for everybody", including its owners and the community.

He added: "While it's empty it's more likely to be vandalised.

"It puts passengers off in its current state and it just looks really, really bad for the station."

In response, Arch Holdings said: "We are aware of the community interest in the station building and we are keen to discuss it with the council and the civic society.

"We are committed to bringing empty and derelict space into use as part of Project 1000, our £200m plan to bring 1,000 spaces into use by 2030."

The Midlands-based company was set up in 2017, according to Companies House.

Its latest accounts, filed in March last year, suggested it had nearly £400,000 worth of fixed assets.