Walking through Green Park Station in Bath today as it was pouring with rain, I realised just what a great centre it could be turned into. For those who don’t know Bath, Green Park Station is the old terminus of the Somerset & Dorset Railway, which was closed following the Beeching axe. Nowadays, it’s run by the Ethical Property Company as a “platform for local life and culture right in the heart of Bath, providing space for local, ethical businesses and organisations”. Now this post isn’t in any way a dig at the Ethical Property Company – what they’re doing is great. My point is that Green Park Station could be even better.
To set the scene, the main part of the building is a supermarket car park, and it’s surrounded by a few shops, a brasserie and some regular market stalls. A farmer’s market and other events are held in the station, too.
Aside from the car park, this is all great. But why stop there? On a rainy day like today, Bath is crying out for a covered shopping and entertainment venue, where people could dive inside when the heavens open and spend some time looking around. Bristol has Broadmead and Cabot Circus, and nearby towns such as Swindon have indoor destinations to attract people, whatever the weather. Now I’m not suggesting Green Park Station be filled up with chain shops. Instead, it’s the perfect place for more local businesses to trade. Let’s have more market stalls, some little shops and eateries. But above all, get rid of the car park! It’s a horrible waste of a great piece of architecture.
To get a feel for what Green Park Station could be, have a look at what they’ve done in Windsor. Its mostly-disused central station has been transformed into the trendy Windsor Royal Shopping centre.
