Network Rail plans to demolish derelict historic water tower at Bury St Edmunds station criticised

Plans to demolish a derelict historic railway water tower – constructed when steam locomotives were in use – have come under fire.

Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd has applied for listed building consent to demolish the water tower, behind platform one of Bury St Edmunds station, near the Great Eastern building, on Station Hill.

The bid follows a structural survey which recommended removal of the tower ‘to remove the risk of a collapse which could impact the station platform, endangering the public and trains’.

The planning application said there is limited visibility of the tower from the station entrance and platforms, while it is located in a ‘redundant and closed off’ area of land.

It added: “There is no public access to the tower as palisade fencing has been installed (between October 2024 and January 2025) around the structure with signage stating ‘danger no access’.

“It is recommended to take down the structure at the earliest feasible opportunity on health and safety grounds.”

But the application has come in for criticism, with Jonathan Lloyd, chair of Bury St Edmunds Town Trust, saying the trust had ‘strongly objected’.

Trust board member and planning specialist John Popham, in the organisation’s objection, said the tower formed part of the original fabric connected with the station – appearing on an 1886 Ordnance Survey map – and, as such, was an important ancillary curtilage building.

“The size of the tower with its water tank reflects the scale of the need for steam locomotives to hold large quantities of water, typically 1,800-1,900 gallons, depending on the size of the locomotive. It also indicates the significance of Bury as a freight location – not least latterly in World War Two, when it was used extensively for supplying the local USAF bases. It is therefore important that the water tower is retained,” said Mr Popham.

“The water tower is in exceptionally poor order due to neglect of maintenance over a long period. The rail station, including the water tower, has been listed since 1972 and the tower should, therefore, have been kept in sound condition.

“In addition to its architectural qualities, it is a structure of truly material significance that assists in explaining an important part of the history of the station site and its use.”

Bury Town Council is recommending refusal due to the historic significance of the tower.

Documents submitted by Network Rail to planners say a structural survey was undertaken in February, however a full inspection was not possible due to vegetation coverage – with the removal of ivy stopped when brickwork started coming away.

The survey did, however, find missing brickwork, open joints, cracks, brick rubble within the foundations, mortar loss, fractures throughout and bulging brickwork.

It added: “The cast iron tank is in fair condition, however the supporting brickwork is in very poor condition. It is showing significant signs of movement and, despite the storage tank no longer being required to hold water, it should not be considered a safe/stable structure.”

The structural surveyors recommended removal of the structure ‘at the earliest feasible opportunity’.

The Grade II-listed Northgate station was completed in 1847. The water tower, which is thought to have been built at the same time, is not listed in its own right but is considered likely to be a curtilage listed building.