Full steam ahead for platform cafe revamp
A CAFÉ at Nottingham Railway Station will be revamped to “enhance the customer experience”.
Called the Jam Jar, the business is in the building which sits between platforms one and three.
It is Grade II listed, alongside the wider railway station building.
Plans to replace the lighting, flooring and change the branding were recently approved by Nottingham City Council. Documents say: “The new Cafe Local concept will enhance the customer experience, and introduce new products to the current range.
“No structural works are proposed, and no alterations to any of the listed building elements is proposed, all building features are to be retained.”
Before the plans were approved a number of changes had to be made, following concerns from Nottingham Civic Society and the council’s conservation officer.
Some of the listed building features include the external brickwork, timber windows and entrance doors, ceramic wall tiling, internal ceiling construction and similar features.
Nottingham Civic Society said it had reservations about the introduction of the tall cabinets which would block out most of the windows facing platform three.
“These would be significantly taller than the present cabinets in that location and the effect would be to reduce the impact of the appearance of the windows in the interior space and their translucency,” it said.
Similarly the conservation officer said the platform café features decorative tiles, plasterwork and coloured glass, which are highly significant and need to be respected.
“The proposals to modify the platform cafés are fine in principle but revisions are required to reduce height of cabinets, the signage and graphics on windows.”
Plans show these issues were resolved, including reducing the height of the cabinets and amendments to the lighting so that it does not impact ornate sections of the ceiling. The timber shop front will also be repainted to the existing colour.