RESTORATIONS to a Grade II listed station building could begin within the next two years.

Shropshire councillors have given the go-ahead for the Oswestry Station Building Trust (OSBT) to takeover the freehold of the historic property.

They have also requested a grant of £30,000.

Roger Date, on behalf of the OSBT, said it will allow the charity to access further grant funding to go towards the estimated £650,000 in repairs to the building including fixing the roof and the heating.

Maintenance is currently the responsibility of the unitary authority as landlord of the property.

Mr Date said: “This is positive news. The building is looking neglected, but this means that once we have dealt with the legal formalities and we do own it we can apply for funding.

“It may be anywhere between two and five years before we are working on it, but we’ve already had preliminary discussions with the Heritage Lottery Fund.”

The OSBT works alongside the Cambrian Railways Trust which has already reopened the railway track from the station on Oswald Road through to the Gasworks Bridge.

Volunteers are now restoring the line down to Weston.

Mr Date said the ambition remains to link the line in the other direction with the national rail network at Gobowen.

He added: “This has the potential to provide an economic boost for Oswestry.

“With regards to the station building we are looking at creating some form educational interpretation.

“The space could also be used by schools and businesses, maybe for corporate events and that could be combined with experiences on the railway.

“It is a wonderful building with good space and facilities.”

The building opened in 1860 and was based on the Mid Wales line which closed to passenger services under the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.

It currently houses displays about the railway, as well as a pharmacy and offices after it was restored in 2006 by the former Oswestry Borough Council.

It was transferred to Shropshire Council when it was created in 2009.

Councillor Steve Charmley, deputy leader of Shropshire Council and portfolio holder for corporate and commercial support, said: “This is good news for the area of Oswestry.”