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This project involved:
Case Study Background
Box Hill & Westhumble Station is situated in the Surrey Hills, the annual footfall is only 103,000 and therefore is unmanned. Given there is no need for an operational presence at the station, the former booking hall is available as a commercial unit. The footfall is below the threshold that can sustain a passenger focused retail offer. The station is a Grade 2 listed building constructed in a Chateauesque
Box Hill and the adjacent Headley Heath are owned and managed by the National Trust and are popular with both walkers and cyclists. Box Hill was the location for the 2012 Olympic cycling road races.
Our input
- A local florist was using the premises for storage which added no value to either passengers or the local community. The tenant was occupying under a contracted-out lease
- At the lease expiry we set out to find an offer that could turn the station into a destination in its own right, not be reliant on regular passengers or passing trade. An additional aspiration was to introduce an offer to encourage train travel to the location for leisure purposes
- We undertook a local marketing campaign focused on the nearby town of Dorking highlighting the attractive features of the premises and legacy created by the Olympics.
- Heads of Terms were agreed with Pilgrims Cycles who occupation in 2013
- We worked with them to agree plans for the workshop in the neglected former booking office and to develop a catering offer to compliment the core business
Deliverables
- Pilgrims Cycles complely transformed the Grade 2 listed building into an attractive characterful venue
- Station has become a place for tourists to linger rather than passing through. It has become a vibrant hub of activity particularly at weekend
