Monday, 26 November 2018
Update: Hebden Bridge Signal Box Preservation Group
An informal meeting co-hosted by Friends of Hebden Bridge Station and Calder Valley Community Land Trust, held on Sunday 25th November agreed to take the first steps towards establishing the Hebden Bridge Signal Box Preservation Group.
Eleven people participated in the meeting. The Group hope to have further discussions with Network Rail which could see the now decommissioned signal box pass into community custodianship.
Mel King undertook to be the initial convenor of the group. Others locally interested in getting involved are invited to email her for news and details of future meetings. The email address is hebdenbridge.signalbox.group@gmail.com
Friday, 2 November 2018
Save the Signal Box - update
Following recent leafleting at Hebden Bridge station, a number of people have given their contact details to say that they are potentially interested in being involved in the campaign to secure the HB signal box in community ownership. The two organisations leading the initiatives, the Friends of HB Station and the Calder Valley Community Land Trust, have called an informal meeting on Sunday, 25 November at 4pm.
This will be a chance to brief people on the discussions so far with Network Rail, the ideas which the Community Land Trust has for ways to preserve the signal box over the longer term, and the possible sources of funding we have identified. We also hope that it may be possible to establish an embryonic Friends of the Signal Box.
If you would like to come, please email the CLT on info@caldervalleyclt.org.uk, and we'll send you the full details and the agenda.
Andrew Bibby, Secretary, Calder Valley Community Land Trust Lesley Mackay, secretary, Friends of HB Station.
4 October 2018
Save the Hebden Bridge Signal Box
Two community organisations are working together in partnership, with the aim of safeguarding a familiar part of Hebden Bridge’s heritage.
Due to be decommissioned
Hebden Bridge signal box is grade II listed, reflecting its historic importance. However, after more than 125 years as a familiar sight in the town, Network Rail’s staff will pull the levers to operate the signals for the last time very shortly. The signal box is due to be decommissioned following the current resignalling work being undertaken on the Calder Valley line.
Network Rail plans
The future of the signal box thereafter is at present unresolved. Network Rail has planning permission to remove the steps and put grilles over the windows.
Community proposals
However Network Rail has also been approached by the Friends of Hebden Bridge Station and the Calder Valley Community Land Trust (CLT), who together have developed a proposal for the building to be saved, restored to its former Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway glory, and properly looked after in the future.
Under the proposals, Calder Valley CLT, the locally based member-controlled charity, would take on the legal custodianship of the building and would fundraise for initial restoration work.
Land Trust
The Calder Valley Community Land Trust, established in 2014 by the joint efforts of Hebden Bridge Partnership and Todmorden Pride, promotes community-led housing initiatives locally to bring more affordable housing to the upper valley. The CLT’s charitable objects also permit it to hold key public buildings on behalf of the community, and it already holds the Fielden Hall community centre in Todmorden on this basis.
Photo: © HebWeb
Friends of the Signal Box group
The two community organisations plan to establish a new Friends of the Signal Box group, to be directly involved in the restoration of the box and its subsequent management.
Andrew Bibby, Secretary of Calder Valley CLT, said, “We are delighted to be working with the Friends of Hebden Bridge Station on this venture, and believe that community ownership of the signal box is the best long term solution. We have already identified a number of grant-making trusts who we intend to approach for financial assistance in the necessary restoration work.”
Lesley Mackay, Secretary of Friends of Hebden Bridge Station, said, “It would be tragic to see the signal box out of use, boarded up and a target for vandalism. We believe that our two community organisations can together bring about a much more acceptable way forward.”
Both organisations have held exploratory discussions with Network Rail, who recently confirmed that they too wish to see the building preserved. More discussions are planned, with the Friends of the Station and the CLT hoping that a quick resolution will be reached.
Leafleating
The groups have been giving out leaflets about their initiative to railway travellers in recent days, and promise to keep local people regularly updated on their progress with Network Rail.