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Band studio plan for listed railway building

Joe Gerrard
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Network Rail/City of York Council A red brick building showing heavy signs of wear, including white and black patches of paint. It has black gutters running along the top, and a rusty metal fence on the roof.Network Rail/City of York Council
York Water Tower, which was built in 1839, has fallen into a state of disrepair

One of the UK's oldest railway station buildings could be turned into a brass band rehearsal space after it fell into disrepair.

Network Rail has applied for permission to convert the York Water Tower, built in 1839, into a base for the York Railway Institute band.

The Grade-II listed building, which has a 5,000-gallon water tank on its roof, was part of a temporary railway terminus which was used from 1840-41 while York's first station was being built.

It would have originally faced the railway lines but is now derelict.

Network Rail/City of York Council A basic, black-and-white sketch of an open space with sound proofing on the walls.Network Rail/City of York Council
An artist's impression of how the refurbished building would look inside

Plans stated that the building could be the oldest surviving railway water tower in the world, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The band's practice room would be in the north east part of the building, following repairs and acoustic ventilation, according to the proposals, which also stated that existing features would be replaced like-for-like where possible.

Another room in the building is set to be let out as a commercial unit.

The plans are currently under consideration by City of York Council.

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