Bigger, better car park at Attleborough rail station officially opens

Attleborough station car park has been completely transformed after an upgrade by Greater Anglia which has seen capacity almost triple.

In partnership with Norfolk County Council which contributed £400,000 to the £900,000 project, Greater Anglia has created 81 spaces, up from 30 in the old car park, including five accessible parking spaces.

There is also designated parking for five motorcycles and future provision for electric car charging, as well as LED lighting and CCTV.

A self-service Amazon locker will also be installed so that people can collect Amazon parcels, and at the edge of the new car park, areas have been set aside for wildflower planting which will be managed by the station’s team of volunteer adopters.

The new car park opened on 29 September and was officially opened by the Mayor of Attleborough, Cllr Philip Leslie, today, Monday 8 November, joined by representatives of Greater Anglia and TPSS, the contractor who carried out the work.

Mayor of Attleborough, Cllr Philip Leslie, said, “We’re delighted that following the recent restoration of our historic station buildings to their former glory our community can benefit from an almost tripling of parking spaces at our train station. What’s more is they’re available at a very reasonable daily rate of £3.

“I would like to thank Greater Anglia for these considerable improvements, including additional accessible parking, provision for electric car charging, new LED lighting and CCTV.

“It is essential that our community has access to more sustainable transport, with this being is a key component of our greener future.”

Simone Bailey, Greater Anglia’s Asset Management Director, said: "I’d like to thank Attleborough Town Council, station users and all the partners involved in this project for their support and patience during this upgrade."

"As Attleborough continues to grow, we’re pleased that we have been able to extend the car park so that we have the capacity to encourage more sustainable journeys, helping to reduce the pollution and congestion caused by cars.”

The work was phased to keep as many parking spaces as possible available for key workers and people making essential journeys by train during the pandemic

The much larger car park was achieved by removing two dilapidated buildings, as well as some tree stumps and vegetation creating a new wall boundary.

Greater Anglia also hopes to attract a new tenant for the restored station house. The building was previously used as a veterinary practice but fell into disrepair and was eventually deemed unsafe because of roof leaks that threatened to bring down the ceilings and, in 2013, had to be closed.

Greater Anglia began renovating the building in 2018, with the help of a £70,000 grant from the Railway Heritage Trust. The train operator also invested £300,000 on the scheme.

The work saw the interior of the building stripped back, UPVC windows replaced with timber sash windows, new doors fitted, redecoration in the building’s original heritage colours and extensive repairs to the roofs to restore the building to its former glory.

Prior to this, in 2016, both platforms were extensively renovated.