Demolition of historic railway station building in Bedlington set to begin

Planning permission was granted last year to remove the structure, which dates from between 1900 and 1910, as part of work to rebuild the station platform in preparation for passenger services returning to the route.

Work to remove the structure will start at 5pm on Saturday, February 3 and is expected to take until 4.30am on Monday, February 5.

Over 1,000 people had backed a petition to keep the structure prior to councillors’ approval of its demolition, and East Bedlington Parish Council had proposed restoring the derelict building into a community hub and heritage centre.

However, it was decided by councillors that the cost of retaining the structure during station works was too high.

A letter sent to residents near Bedlington station, signed by Northumberland Line programme delivery director Neil Blagburn, said: “Removal of this building will free up space for a station forecourt and provide opportunities for new landscaping and public art.

“It will also minimise the potential for overcrowding along the station access, and shorten the distance passengers have to travel to the platform.

“Planning permission was granted for this work in August 2023 and historic recording has been undertaken.”

The letter continued: “The building will be dismantled carefully to platform slab level.

“Where possible the contractor will attempt to salvage elements of stone and brick work to be removed off site for cleaning and potential reuse.

“Any noise and local disruption will be kept as minimal as practically possible, and any significant changes to the duration of this programme or shift timings due to site specific conditions will be communicated via further letters.”

The other, older station building on the site will be retained, however, and discussions are ongoing about bringing it into community use.

The letter said: “We are aware of the local value of the old station buildings and, in parallel to the dismantling of the southern building, we will be retaining the northern building, which has the greatest heritage value, and exploring options for refurbishing it and bringing it into community use.

“We are working with the Railway Heritage Trust, Bedlington Parish Council, and other local organisations on these proposals, and will share more information as they develop.”