New community space in refurbished station room
A DISUSED room at a railway station has been refurbished to become a thriving community space.
The redundant room at Havant station has become the home of a community interest company called Solent Remade, which supports repairing, reusing and recycling old possessions.
The Old Parcels Office at the station was last used as the station’s taxi office but, as it was unlikely to be used for that purpose again, South Western Railway sought to find a community use for it.
After working closely with Solent Remade, SWR agreed to lease the space to the CIC on a peppercorn rent, so that they could use it as a hub for resource repair, reduce or reuse projects.
The refit may not be finished yet, but Solent Remade was able to pilot its first monthly bike basics drop-in session on Monday, May 16 and is using the space to store equipment for the Havant Repair Cafe.
Anne Sayer, a director of Solent Remade, said: ‘We can’t express our gratitude enough to all those organisations that have helped us make this project a reality – especially South Western Railway and Community Rail Network, without whom it really would not have been possible.
‘Solent Remade is looking forward to using the space to make a real difference in the local community.’
Paula Aldridge, SWR’s community rail manager, added: ‘We are absolutely delighted to have been part of this project, and to help Solent Remade find a new home.
‘This is another great example of how empty spaces at stations can be transformed for the benefit of the local community.’