fire sale: KWVr sacrifices cafe Plan To Gain GroUnD
The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s plan for a major development of its catering facilities at Oxenhope has been temporarily shelved - in order to protect itself from unwanted development at the next station up the line. Bradford Council had granted planning permission for a new car park and a 100-seat café to replace a Mk 1 coach, but groundworks pushed the cost up to nearly £900,000. The railway now needs cash to bid for the fire station site at Haworth. Built on part of the former goods yard after the closure of the branch, and last used by West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue in 2014, the fire station is on the market for £275,000 after proposals to retain it for emergency use or as a community asset failed to materialise. The KWVR is to make its own bid to purchase the site. Chairman Matt Stroh explains: “While there was always going to be a need for borrowing to fund the café, we did not want to burden the railway with too much debt over a protracted period, so the board has taken the decision to defer the Oxenhope project. “Releasing the cash means we can consider bidding for the Haworth fire station site. It has a view over the yard, and we need to protect our activities by controlling what the land is used for, and we also see some commercial benefit, possibly for a café or other development.”