Stevenage borough councillors have signalled their determination that work to regenerate and renew the railway station in Stevenage will still go ahead – despite the plans for a ‘new’ station having been removed from the emerging local plan.

Stevenage borough councillors have signalled their determination that work to regenerate and renew the railway station in Stevenage will still go ahead – despite the plans for a ‘new’ station having been removed from the emerging local plan.

On Tuesday the executive of Stevenage Borough Council voted to back the new local plan, including changes made by the planning inspector and the Secretary of State as part of the process.

Those changes include a direction from the Secretary of State to remove all references to a ‘new’ railway station in the town – which the council proposes to replace with ‘regenerated’.

At the meeting of the council’s executive, members highlighted the importance of the station to the borough’s future plans.

Council leader Sharon Taylor said the plans around the station gateway area had been driven by Stevenage people and businesses.

“We are happy to change ‘new’ to ‘regenerated’ – but I don’t think that any of us are in any doubt that work on the train station and making it an appropriate gateway to Stevenage is vital to the future,” she said.

Following the lifting of the ‘holding direction’, the council will also have to prepare an ‘area action plan’ for the ‘station gateway’ site – with monthly updates to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

They will also publish a masterplan for the regeneration of the Stevenage town centre sites, for public consultation.

Following its release by the Secretary of State the draft local plan has also been backed by the council’s overview and scrutiny committee – and will be put to a meeting of the full council on May 22.