Delight at lottery success
The volunteers of the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society are today celebrating the news that they have been given the green light by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to develop their Museum Gateway Project.
This HLF first-round pass* award includes £22,900 of development funding and means that the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society can progress to the second-round of the HLF application process
The Museum Gateway Project will include:
A new main building for Page’s Park station, replacing and expanding the current, life-expired facilities, with provision for educational and community activities, and historical interpretation displays.
External refurbishment of the buffet building, which is also used for educational and community purposes.
Rebuild of Platform 2 and associated trackwork to current standards.
Landscaping and improvement of the approach to the station from Billington Road.
Temporary buildings to allow the railway to function during the building works.
Permanent reduction in the station’s carbon footprint.
The development funding will help the society obtain specialist advice and other assistance towards the more detailed second-round of the application process, where they will be applying for £ £511,800 to providing the major element of the £800k required to complete the project.
Another part of the total will come from the value of volunteer time employed on the project, and a campaign is in progress to raise the remaining match funding.
The second-round application is expected to be submitted by the end of 2013.
Improvements already carried out at Page’s Park, additional to the scope of the Museum Gateway Project, include a complete rebuild of Platform 1, and an extension to the car park. Temporary toilets have been installed as a stopgap until the new building is completed, replacing facilities which had been damaged in the severe winter of 2010.
Leighton Buzzard Railway spokesman, Mervyn Leah, said: “We are delighted to have cleared the first hurdle in our quest for Lottery funding, and hope that Page’s Park—as the gateway to one of the most historically important narrow-gauge railways in England—will soon have the station it deserves.”
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 4 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 29 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
