A SCHEME to reinvent the railway station in Redditch has received an additional £1million to help get the project in motion.

The Redditch Rail Quarter and Interchange is one of five schemes designed to transform the town centre.

Plans will see an upgraded railway station building and car park, the redevelopment of adjacent vacant land and improved connectivity into the town centre. There are also plans to build an additional 50 homes in the area.

The funding boost comes from central government as part of the Getting Building Fund.

This fund was announced in conjunction with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s response to the economic impact of the Covid-19 lockdown.

It's designed to support ‘shovel ready’ projects to progress in the next 18 months and kick-start the economy.

Improvements include an enlarged station building, which will feature a new 70-bed hotel, aiming to “provide a much more visible marker for those coming to the station”.

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According to the plans the building will sit within a remodelled concourse, with new convenience retail, café/bar units and new apartments.

The plans also say the space will be further improved through the “demolition of existing low quality buildings (currently takeaway and restaurant uses)", and their replacement with a contemporary café pavilion.

Councillor Matthew Dormer, leader of Redditch Borough Council, said: “This funding will be used to help bring forward a technical and detailed business case to underpin the train station development, which also includes working in partnership to build an additional 50 housing units in the area, boosting economic growth in our town centre and driving regeneration.”

Redditch MP Rachel Maclean said: “Our long-held vision to unlock the potential of Redditch takes another step forward with this important funding announcement. As a team we are always pushing for more for Redditch and I’m delighted this bid was successful. It’s important we recharge the Redditch economy and that means getting money into local infrastructure projects that are ambitious but credible.”