Empty and unused for 32 years, the building has been refurbished to create a new community space. It follows an 18 month long collaboration between the train operator, the Kent Community Rail Partnership, Rail Heritage Trust and Hollingbourne Parish Council.
The project – to repurpose an existing railway station building into a dedicated space for the local community – is the first of its kind in Kent.
The residents of Hollingbourne had the opportunity to see the result of the refurbishment and to give their views on the future use of the space, with questionnaires completed by the 250 visitors to the recent open day.
Matthew Fraser, Community Relations Manager at Southeastern, said: “The positive reaction from local residents to the transformation of the empty ticket office and booking hall has been amazing. It reflects the hard work by everyone involved to bring this building back into use for the benefit of the community.
“Over the coming weeks we work with local people to develop a plan for its future use, whether that’s as a community shop, cafe or space to host meetings and events.”
It is hoped that the refurbished building will be officially reopened later this year.
Community groups interested in using the space or local residents who are keen to work with the project as a volunteer should contact: thestationathollingbourne@gmail.com.
