Work continues to Attleborough rail station car park

Work to increase car parking capacity at a Norfolk rail station is due to recommence next month.

Greater Anglia is improving car parking at Attleborough station, by almost tripling the existing number of spaces and creating designated areas for motorcycles and bicycles.

The £500,000 project will create 86 spaces including five accessible parking spaces and there will also be designated parking for five motorcycles and provision for electric car charging, if it is required in the future.

There will be 20 cycle spaces, new LED lighting and CCTV.

Originally the scheme was expected to be completed by the end of last year but work paused in the autumn awaiting the outcome of a planning amendment.

In the meantime, Greater Anglia is proceeding with the removal of the two ancillary buildings, as well as some tree stumps and vegetation and the excavation of the new car park area and wall boundary.

The company hopes that the project will be completed by the summer.

The work will be phased to keep as many parking spaces as possible available for key workers and people making essential journeys by train.

Greater Anglia also hopes to attract a new tenant for the restored station building.

Simone Bailey, Greater Anglia’s Asset Management Director, said: “We’re very pleased to be almost tripling the number of parking spaces at Attleborough from 30 to 86 so that once we start to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, we will have the capacity to encourage more sustainable journeys to the area, helping to reduce the pollution and congestion caused by cars.

“We support green transport initiatives across our region, which is why we’re creating additional cycle parking spaces and the provision for four electric car parking spaces.”

Attleborough is a growing town and is perfectly placed to help people travel to either Cambridge or Norwich.

Rail passengers can now travel from Attleborough to Stansted Airport without the need to change trains, making it a more attractive option for air passengers.

Last year, Greater Anglia restored the station building following a grant from the Railway Heritage Trust.

The station house was previously used as a veterinary practice but fell into disrepair and was eventually deemed unsafe because of roof leaks that threatened to bring down the ceilings and, in 2013, had to be closed.

Greater Anglia began renovating the building in 2018, with the help of a £110,000 grant from the Railway Heritage Trust. The train operator also invested £177,000 on the scheme.

The work saw the interior of the building stripped back, UPVC windows replaced with timber sash windows, new doors fitted, redecoration in the building’s original heritage colours and extensive repairs to the roofs to restore the building to its former glory.

Current Government advice is to stay at home unless you need to travel for permitted reasons including work and medical appointments.

Greater Anglia continues to ensure that rail travel is safe for staff and passengers with an enhanced cleaning regime, on stations and trains, concentrating on high-touch areas such as push buttons, grab rails and door handles.

The train operator has also introduced a wide range of measures to make it easier for customers to maintain social distancing at stations and on trains – including floor markings, one-way systems, new signs and queuing systems.

It is now mandatory for customers to wear a face covering when using public transport, to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Children under the age of 11 and people with a disability or illness which means they cannot wear a face covering are exempt from wearing them.

Photo credit: Greater Anglia

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