Dover Priory Station Approach Improvements, Phase 2 Public Exhibition
Improvements are planned to make the Priory Station and the surrounding area a more attractive, safe and practical place to use. This will build on the Phase 1 works, which included the new waiting room and ticketing area.
These further improvements will ensure that the station is ‘fit for purpose’ when the high-speed rail link service commences in December 2009.
The first of the Hitachi trains that will operate this service was delivered to Southampton at the end of August 2007.
Consultation Boards, pdf 4,378kb
Consultations were carried out in 2007 but your comments are still welcome:
Major Projects Support Officer
Dover District Council
White Cliffs Business Park
Whitfield CT16 3PJ
Email to regeneration@dover.gov.uk
HST Connect is an Interreg IIIB NWE project led by Seeda. It has 14 strategic investment partners, with a total project value of 19million euro and a European Regional Development Fund of 8million euro.
The project concentrates on two key issues: developing the secondary public transport system to feed efficiently and economically into the primary High Speed Trains network and making stations better places to travel to, through and from - and to do business in. Better accessibility to stations and better station environments help improve economic performance, and cultural integration and will reduce social exclusion.
Dover Priory is only one of three stations in the UK to benefit from this project, was selected for a number of reasons. Central to this was the recognition that Dover is North West Europe's largest port and that it has a trans-nationally strategic location between London and Brussels/Paris. In addition Dover has been identified as a potential terminus for future high-speed domestic services. Improvements to Dover Priory would improve accessibility, while fostering improved links to the town and the port.
Southern Railway reconstructed the Station at Dover Priory, which is situated on the site of the previous Victorian building during 1932. It is typical early Art Deco building in a rather austere style. Much of the station building has become cluttered and untidy and is regarded as being unsympathetic to the demands associated with modern travel requirements.
Externally, the road circulation, although adequate, is characterised by undefined routes that make it confusing to operate from with all the demands now arising.
Key requirements from the brief therefore include the need to refurbish the station building, booking hall, and conveniences while improving the external circulation for taxis, 'kiss and ride', car parking, local buses, port interchange, pedestrian movement signage and improved CCTV coverage.
An award of equivalent to 436,000 euro has been secured for the project, which will enable a phased commencement to take place. This includes contributions from Kent County Council Regeneration and Projects, together with Local Transport Plan funding, SE Trains, the Railway Heritage Trust and Dover District Council. Further contributions are also being sought from other bodies and organisations, which will also support the completion of the first phase and development of further improvements as part of an on-going development programme.
A Local Project Steering Group has been established from the Project Partners. The Kent Institute for Architecture and Design has been commissioned and their students were involved in the preparation of a number of concept designs based on the brief. From an initial submission from 16 students, the Project Steering Group has undertaken a detailed analysis, and four submissions were selected for examination in greater detail. These submissions formed the basis for the future preparation of a detailed scheme by an Architectural Practice, which now forms the basis for the current consultation. Key considerations in this process have related to compliance with the brief and current budget availability. Astor College for Art has also been involved in this process.
Introduction drawing (pdf, 688k)
Existing Building Plan (pdf, 4,763k)
Proposed Building Plan (pdf, 3,195k)
Landscape Plan (pdf, 759k)
A Presentation of the proposal (pdf, 522k)
Email: regeneration@dover.gov.uk
