
Volunteers planning to open new community hub at Yorkshire station after 18-year project
Volunteers transforming an empty building at Mytholmroyd Station into a creative centre for the local community say it will open later this year.
A charitable organisation called The Station Building Mytholmroyd, run by Geoff and Sue Mitchell, have been working to redevelop and reopen the old station building for 18 years, but they have been hit by a number of setbacks, including floods and the Covid-19 pandemic.
They signed a 25-year lease on the building last week and say it is now being turned into a creative centre, with a ground-floor room that can be used by the community and seven units they intend to rent to local artists.
The Grade II listed building has stood empty for 40 years and was frequently vandalised before the renovation began.
The volunteers are working to complete the project by ensuring the building has electricity, heating, running water and Wi-Fi before it opens to the public in the autumn.
Mrs Mitchell said: “Every time we come here, we get really excited about the opening and it was a big moment when we signed the lease.
“This building was a vandalised wreck before this project began. It’s taken an awful lot of work and we’ve had some sleepless nights to get to this point, but it’s all been worth it.
“It will be for the local community and we have already received a lot of interest."
She added: "The project has received considerable support and advice from all sections of the railway family – from managers to regional maintenance staff."
Mytholmroyd Station is used by over 200,000 passengers a year and managed by Northern, which has been helping the volunteers to deliver their long-held ambition of transforming the building.
It follows on from the success of the station adoption group called Mytholmroyd Station Partnership, which is also run by Geoff and Sue and works to improve the station.
Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern, said: "Geoff and Sue's determination and perseverance over the last 18 years has been nothing short of amazing.
"We're really excited to see them finish this project and open the community hub for the people of Mytholmroyd later this year.
"This is a fantastic example of volunteers working hard over many years to enhance their station for the local community."
William Young, portfolio surveyor for Network Rail’s eastern region, said: "We are delighted to have signed a peppercorn lease with The Station Building Mytholmroyd, enabling this historic building to be transformed into a vibrant community hub.
“We have invested significantly over the years to preserve this structure, making it ready for the next phase of refurbishment.
"Thanks to funding secured from the government and industry partners, we are excited to see the volunteers hard work bring new purpose to this heritage asset and benefit the local community."
Opened in 1874 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, it originally contained a booking hall, waiting rooms, the station master’s office and a ticket collector’s office. But after it was closed and boarded up in 1984, the building fell into disrepair.
Since 2007, the volunteers have been working on plans to redevelop and reopen it.
Network Rail began the renovation and made the building structurally sound in 2018, after the project received a £110,000 grant from The Railway Heritage Trust and support from Historic England.
It was also awarded £293,193 by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in the third round of the Community Ownership Fund, last year.
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.