Save Our Shed from demolition! Too Late – the damage is done.
UPDATE: Someone burnt the bloody thing down; 21/10/2018 Read about it HERE!
UPDATE: Despite being described as “important to the history of the town and a tourism asset”, plans to demolish the Carriage and Wagon Repair Shop at Brunel Road Industrial Estate were given the go ahead in June 2018.
Planning permission to demolish the Newton Abbot GWR Carriage and Wagon Repair Shop and replace it with a supermarket was granted on 13th December 2017. That decision has been successfully overturned in a legal challenge brought by a concerned Newtonian and supported by the “Save Our Shed” fundraising campaign.
However, Teignbridge District Council is shortly to re-consider the same proposal.
So once again, the ’Shop is facing demolition. Please help us save this handsome and robust building by demonstrating to Teignbridge District Council (TDC) that Newtonians, the wider public and railway enthusiasts, want this building to be retained. It is an asset to the town, in good condition and very capable of a new and exciting re-use.
Please sign and share this petition calling on TDC to retain the historic GWR shed and protect the historic character of our town.
Many people previously objected to this application for multiple reasons. Some of these included;
· Serious negative impact on the amenity of the residents of Forde Close and other neighbouring properties.
· Significant concerns over the impact of increased traffic, and associated air pollution, around Station Rd, Torquay Rd, Forde Close and Brunel Road.
· The loss of land designated in TDC’s Local Plan as “employment land”.
· Impact on the heritage of Newton Abbot – both the loss of the “Shed” and the detrimental impact on the wider historic character of the town, nearby listed buildings and adjacent Conservation Areas.
· The potential negative impact on railway focused tourism.
A bit of History:
Since 1846, Newton Abbot has been a railway town. The railway has been a major factor in its history, development and expansion, and the social history of the people who live here. Newton Abbot acted as Divisional Headquarters for Great Western Railway and, as such, was one of the most important railway towns in the South West. GWR was the town’s major employer for many years, with whole families and multiple generations of families all working for the company.
This iconic building is in Great Western Railway early 1890’s style and its construction coincided with a major expansion of “the Newton Works” and the change from broad gauge rail tracks to standard gauge tracks.
Following the closure of the “Newton Works” in the 1970’s this substantial building enjoyed a new use for several decades as a warehouse for the well-known local publishing firm “David and Charles”. Its chairman, David St John Thomas, was a very keen railway enthusiast. He was also instrumental in establishing the Newton Abbot Railways Study Collection, and was President of the associated “Friends of the Railway Study Group” until his death in 2014.
More recently and following a change of ownership, the current business owners relocated to Exeter. Since then the building has been standing idle and unloved.
Please sign and make your voice count – HERE!
What else can you do to help?
· Please encourage others to sign the petition.
· Share the online petition with your friends on social media or by email.
· Make a donation to the “SOS” campaign. Contributions, big or small, can be sent to “Save Our Shed” either by a one off BAC’s payment (Sort code 77- 68 – 62, Account no 01596660) or cheque payable to: Save Our Shed, c/o 20 Forde Close, Newton Abbot, TQ12 4AF.
· Write to local Councillors in support of the retention and re-use of this historic building and the protection of the historic character of our town.
· Write a letter of objection to TDC
· Contact us at saveourshed.newtonabbot@gmail.com with your ideas for the campaign.
Save Our Shed from demolition! Too Late – the damage is done.
UPDATE: Someone burnt the bloody thing down; 21/10/2018 Read about it HERE!
UPDATE: Despite being described as “important to the history of the town and a tourism asset”, plans to demolish the Carriage and Wagon Repair Shop at Brunel Road Industrial Estate were given the go ahead in June 2018.
Planning permission to demolish the Newton Abbot GWR Carriage and Wagon Repair Shop and replace it with a supermarket was granted on 13th December 2017. That decision has been successfully overturned in a legal challenge brought by a concerned Newtonian and supported by the “Save Our Shed” fundraising campaign.
However, Teignbridge District Council is shortly to re-consider the same proposal.
So once again, the ’Shop is facing demolition. Please help us save this handsome and robust building by demonstrating to Teignbridge District Council (TDC) that Newtonians, the wider public and railway enthusiasts, want this building to be retained. It is an asset to the town, in good condition and very capable of a new and exciting re-use.
Please sign and share this petition calling on TDC to retain the historic GWR shed and protect the historic character of our town.
Many people previously objected to this application for multiple reasons. Some of these included;
· Serious negative impact on the amenity of the residents of Forde Close and other neighbouring properties.
· Significant concerns over the impact of increased traffic, and associated air pollution, around Station Rd, Torquay Rd, Forde Close and Brunel Road.
· The loss of land designated in TDC’s Local Plan as “employment land”.
· Impact on the heritage of Newton Abbot – both the loss of the “Shed” and the detrimental impact on the wider historic character of the town, nearby listed buildings and adjacent Conservation Areas.
· The potential negative impact on railway focused tourism.
A bit of History:
Since 1846, Newton Abbot has been a railway town. The railway has been a major factor in its history, development and expansion, and the social history of the people who live here. Newton Abbot acted as Divisional Headquarters for Great Western Railway and, as such, was one of the most important railway towns in the South West. GWR was the town’s major employer for many years, with whole families and multiple generations of families all working for the company.
This iconic building is in Great Western Railway early 1890’s style and its construction coincided with a major expansion of “the Newton Works” and the change from broad gauge rail tracks to standard gauge tracks.
Following the closure of the “Newton Works” in the 1970’s this substantial building enjoyed a new use for several decades as a warehouse for the well-known local publishing firm “David and Charles”. Its chairman, David St John Thomas, was a very keen railway enthusiast. He was also instrumental in establishing the Newton Abbot Railways Study Collection, and was President of the associated “Friends of the Railway Study Group” until his death in 2014.
More recently and following a change of ownership, the current business owners relocated to Exeter. Since then the building has been standing idle and unloved.
Please sign and make your voice count – HERE!
What else can you do to help?
· Please encourage others to sign the petition.
· Share the online petition with your friends on social media or by email.
· Make a donation to the “SOS” campaign. Contributions, big or small, can be sent to “Save Our Shed” either by a one off BAC’s payment (Sort code 77- 68 – 62, Account no 01596660) or cheque payable to: Save Our Shed, c/o 20 Forde Close, Newton Abbot, TQ12 4AF.
· Write to local Councillors in support of the retention and re-use of this historic building and the protection of the historic character of our town.
· Write a letter of objection to TDC
· Contact us at saveourshed.newtonabbot@gmail.com with your ideas for the campaign.
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