Former Broom Station set to become dwelling

Plans to build a new dwelling on the site of Broom’s former railway station have been approved by Stratford District Council.

The application, submitted by Mark Harding, seeks permission for a two bedroom single story property to sit on the platform area, designed to look like the station buildings that previously stood there.

The site has not been used as a railway station since the 1960s, but was used as a highways depot by the council for a time following its closure.

The platform and line of the railway remain in place and the remains of some platform buildings still exist, however the planning application says that in general the area has fallen into a poor state, has been a victim of vandalism and is an unattractive feature on the landscape.

Planning officers had recommended that the application should be rejected, largely on the grounds that the development would be located in open countryside some distance from services and facilities.

However the planning committee thought differently, eventually deciding to approve the application by a vote of three to two with one abstention.