“Our town cannot afford to have our station closed,” Knighton’s concerned mayor says as he urged the owner of the station buildings to carry out urgent repairs

There are fears that the poor state of Knighton Station buildings could lead to the closure of Knighton railway station and the loss of hundreds of pounds for local businesses.

The town’s mayor Councillor Tom Taylor says the station master’s house and booking office are close to platform 1 at the station.

He says at present there are two holes and at least 14 partially displaced tiles in the roof's facing platform 1.

“There is a danger that if any of these tiles fall they could cause significant injury should they hit someone on the platform.

“Even if they fall harmlessly onto the platform Network Rail and Transport for Wales will have no option but to close platform 1 for the safety of their staff and passengers. 

“If this happens the station will effectively be closed as southbound trains cannot access platform 2,” he told a recent town council meeting.

Councillor Taylor said the station buildings are Grade 2 listed because of their unique architectural qualities and their historical importance to the history and development of Knighton and they should be preserved.

But he said the closure of the station which is on the Heart of Wales Line between Shrewsbury and Swansea, would have a huge impact on the town.

“Not only would this be inconvenient to Knighton residents who use the train services it would mean that visitors to Knighton could no longer come by train and that would have serious financial implications to many of our town’s businesses.

“Currently there are 22,000 journeys made to and from the station of which around a quarter are visitors. This would mean a loss of £200,000 to our businesses, many of which struggle to turn a profit.

“We cannot afford to stand by and let this happen.”

Samantha Skryme, Chairman of The Heart of Wales Line Community Rail Partnership also attended the meeting and urged the town council to contact Stowe Parish Council and take action.

Knighton station actually lies within Stowe parish and Shropshire.

Councillor Bob Andrews said while the station is in Powys, the railway actually comes under Shropshire County Council.

“Owners do have a responsibility for the upkeep and general maintenance of their buildings but within the powers of Shropshire Council is an enforcement provision for any listed buildings not being kept in good repair.

“I suggest we write to Stowe Parish Council and Shropshire County Council and its conservation department and remind them of their responsibilities.”

Members agreed to write to the person they believe owns the buildings, Stowe Parish Council and Shropshire County Council to try and get the roof repaired urgently.