Nuneaton Station
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STATIONS AS PLACES Opportunity Prospectus Integration, Community and Delivery: A Masterplan for Nuneaton station NUNEATON STATION May 2020 FOREWORD Introducing the concept of Stations as Places The Stations as Places (SAP) programme is a process to help put railway stations at the heart of local communities. It is designed to help create a vision for the future and to identify opportunities for delivering improvements to the local environment and create a welcoming ambience. The aim is to work in partnership with others to unlock potential and to meet shared objectives and aspirations. Railway stations are more than access points to the rail network; they can be hubs of activity that are rooted in the locality with the potential to support regeneration and development opportunities. They can also host community and business activities and offer facilities/infrastructure to encourage sustainable, multi modal travel with a view to reducing car dependency and improving local air quality. The Vision “We will develop stations as quality gateways between communities and the railway, supporting the changing needs of our passengers, residents and visitors. Stations in the West Midlands will be community assets, supporting the wellbeing and development of the areas they serve through involving local community and business.” West Midlands Station Alliance (WMSA) Mission Statement What does this prospectus do for Nuneaton Station? There is an important role for the railways to play in both the economic and social regeneration of the local areas which our stations serve. This Opportunity Prospectus sets out the economic, social and geographic landscape of the area around our station and highlights some of the opportunities for commercial development, partnership working, inward investment and community regeneration. We have included a profile of Nuneaton station in this document and looked at different types of activity neighbouring our stations, from local businesses providing facilities to the travelling public, local authorities using existing assets in different ways, businesses looking for investment opportunities and the impact of new development in the surrounding area. Contents Chapter Page Chapter Page Why ‘Stations as Places’? 2 'Last Mile' Concept Plan 13 Get in touch and keep up to date Bringing our Partners together 3 Local Growth – Planning 14 About the Station 4-5 Opportunity Plan 15 You can email [email protected] and one Station Typology 6-7 Making the Station a better place 16-17 of the team will get back to you! Sustainable Transport Thinking’ 8 Stakeholder Findings 18 What Do We Know? 9 Opportunities for Investment 19 You can also follow progress on Stations Services and Trains 10 Delivery Strategy 20 as Places at: Station Layout 11 Action Plan and Targets 21 www.wmre.org.uk/stationsalliance The Headline Opportunities 12 Who to contact and how to get involved 22 1 Why ‘Stations as Places’ for Nuneaton? Who are the West Midlands Station Alliance? WMSA is a formal alliancing arrangement between industry partners with a common vision and What do we know? forward plan, including infrastructure owner Network Rail, station facilities owner West Midlands Trains (WMT) and local government West Midlands Rail Executive. The role of the WMSA is to facilitate Stations as Places by bringing together various stakeholders to work together in partnership; ensuring that the Stations as Places vision and local aspirations are shared between the stakeholders,the infrastructureowner, the station facilities owner and LocalGovernment. Community ENGAGEMENT Why Nuneaton Station has been selected? Nuneaton Station is an important station for commuters and visitors to the town. The station has an important role as a gateway to the leisure, tourism, cultural and economic parts of the town. Nuneaton station provides access to the West Midlands, Leicestershire as well as London, enabling the community to access employment, education and training across the region and to support the growth in the town. Building a VISION Nuneaton is currently undergoing major investment and regeneration through the Transforming Nuneaton project. This includes the station and surrounding areas with the aim to improve the local environment and encourage visitors to the town. The transforming Nuneaton project will also improve connectivity between the town and the station. Stations as Places The drivers for developing this location PROSPECTUS The Station has seen a rise in rail patronage, with a 3.8% increase in passenger numbers in the last year reaching 1.364 million passengers in 2019. The station is particularly busy at peak commuting times. The station will benefit from improved maintenance and investment in facilities, with some improvements already completed or underway including to the station bridge. It would benefit from upgrading some nearby vacant space for community uses. Monitoring Progress & Continuing Engagement The Prospectus This Prospectus sets out the headline opportunities for the station in Nuneaton; including car parking management, community integration, improvements to the passenger environment and promoting Nuneaton’s heritage (such as Ribbon weaving and coal mining history). The flow chart on the right shows how we are delivering Stations as Places in Nuneaton. 2 Bringing our Partners together Our stakeholders really matter to us. Whether it’s a major developer building new homes in reach of the station or an individual customer that needs to be able to make an easy journey to a hospital appointment using a combination of train and bus, the Stations as Places team wants to hear views from stakeholders and customers. Our inclusive consultation approach ensures we cover the four dimensions of: COMMUNITY LOCAL PERSPECTIVE A railway station is often a great asset to a community, but a community The role of a station will depend on it’s location and the needs of the can also be a great asset to a railway station. community and businesses that surround it. Nuneaton Station is already a community The station at Nuneaton needs to meet the needs asset as a gateway to the town. As part of and requirements of the local community and to the ‘Adopt a Station’ gardening project involve the community as those needs and Friends of Nuneaton Station assisted by requirements change. The travel survey can Network Rail and London North Western establish how and when people travel to and from Railway completed new landscaping and the stations but community involvement helps to planting to improve the overall look and make a station a more attractive and valuable welcome to the station. This includes community asset. Stations as Places aims to making the most of the line and the establish strong links between the station access to rail services to support local management and businesses, the community and wellbeing and prosperity. other local stakeholders; ensuring that the voice of the community is heard. Nuneaton Station has a thriving community art gallery on the platform that regularly displays local artwork and holds monthly art discussion groups. LEGACY SOCIAL VALUE An important objective of Stations as Places it to provide a long-term Transforming a railway station from a ‘passenger thoroughfare’ into legacy by establishing integration and community involvement as the a genuine community asset will have a positive impact on the local heart of the Nuneaton station. community. This will involve the community taking a level of Residents and businesses are more likely to take ownership of the stations and passing this onto ownership of their local station if it is a pleasant the future generations to keep each station a and safe place to be, meets their needs and valuable part of the local community. Of represents local people and heritage. The Friends course, Network Rail, West Midlands Railway of Nuneaton Station is an active community group and the Local Government will also have an transforming the station, providing social value important role in the legacy of the station and and changing the station from a passenger that is why partnership working between the thoroughfare into a genuine community asset. community and these organisations is so important. 3 About the station KEY FACTS Nuneaton is located at an important railway junction, served by three railway lines; the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line (WCML), the Birmingham-Leicester-Peterborough Line and the Nuneaton to Coventry branch line. Until 1969 the station was known as Nuneaton Trent Valley, to distinguish it from the now closed Nuneaton Abbey Street station, although it is still often referred to it as Trent Valley. In 2004 Network Rail built two new platforms numbered 6 and 7 on the eastern side of the station. These were built as part of a grade separation project to separate trains on the Birmingham to Peterborough line, from those on the West Coast Main Line and so avoid the need for Birmingham-Leicester trains to cause conflicting movements by running across the WCML. On the early hours of 6 June 1975, an overnight sleeper train from London to Glasgow derailed and crashed just south of Nuneaton station, killing six people and injuring 38. One of the locomotives mounted the platform, causing damage to the station. A plaque commemorating the victims of the crash was unveiled at the station in August 2015. FACILITIES OVERVIEW LOCAL ACTIVITIES Nuneaton Station Nuneaton Station is 0.5km from the town centre which offers a wide range of high Staffed ticket office between 05:30 and 20:00. street retailers and independent traders. Staff presence on the station between 05:30 and 23:30. • Riversley Park has formal flower beds, topiaries and war memorials, to the The toilets are located on Platform 2. east is the River Anker offering a number of riverside walks. Buffet facilities on platform 1. • Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery is a local museum for Nuneaton, with an Improved CCTV coverage throughout the station including cycle art gallery dedicated to George Eliot, her career and her early life.