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Plans will recapture Brief Encounter GO-AHEAD FOR £1M STATION SCHEME By STEVE JARVIS AMBITIOUS plans to transform Carnforth's derelict station buildings into a £1m tourist Mecca have been given the green light. The consortium of Lancashire businessmen behind the plans hope to revive the station's historic past as the setting for the classic weepie Brief Encounter to unlock a richer future for the entire town. P1ans put forward by Carnforth Station and Railway Trust Company and finally approved by Railtrack bosses, include a Brief Encounter.refreshment room, the return of platform canopies, a heritage visitors centre, shops and, with luck, the installation of a ticket office similar to one used in the 1945 film. The consortium will now begin a six- month.feasibility into the plans to revitalise the station and hope to start work before the end of this year. Consortium spokesman David Taylor said today: "An important part of this project will be to bring life back to Carnforth station and make it user-friendly 'At the moment, it's not the most pleasant place to catch a train from. We hope a feasibility study will show how Carnforth can be a tourist centre for North Lancashire and South Cumbria." Survey "The feasibility study which will cost between £25,000 and £30,000, will include a detailed survey into the buildings, how they could be converted to the uses imagined and the costings. "Through market research, we will be hoping to establish whether there's a demand for this and the beneficial impact in Carnforth, and the impact this exciting project could have on the town centre." Money to fund the scheme is expected to come from' Lancashire County Council, the Rural Development Commission, perhaps railway heritage groups and a bid to the Lottery fund.The idea of a public appeal to persuade local businesses to support the project is also being considered. Mr Taylor added: "When it comes to the visitor centre, it occurred to us that Carnforth is a potted industrial revolution - nothing much until 1880, then the arrival of Iron and steel works which have now closed followed by the railway which made the town a busy hub of industry" "Some industries, such as mineral extraction can be traced back to Roman times, and the quarries are still the largest employers in the area." "We thought it would be interesting to create a visitor centre along those lines of the industrial history to show how Carnforth was, is, and how it can be the tourist centre for North Lancashire and South Cumbria." "By recapturing the Brief Encounter theme', it will make the station more acceptable." Go-ahead for £1m Station Scheme, Lancashire Evening Post 30 th January 1997
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