Campaigners celebrate as 1950s bus shelter saved

Campaigners who have been protesting to try to save a 1950s bus shelter from demolition are celebrating after a town council voted to save the structure.

The shelter on Station Approach in Sheringham has been due to be demolished and replaced by a new transport hub, after Norfolk County Council said it did not meet modern accessibility standards and was unsafe.

In a narrow vote at an emergency meeting on Tuesday, Sheringham Town Council agreed not to support bulldozing the bus stop after nine days of protests that have seen residents camping out in the shelter.

The county council said it was "disappointed" by the decision but that it would "stop all work and withdraw from the site as soon as possible".

Councillors voted six to five in favour not to demolish the shelter, which is near the seaside town's heritage railway station.

The county council had sent an eviction notice to protesters, who had been camped out since 1 December, which campaigners had been contesting the validity of.

They argued only the town council, as the land owner, had the right to evict them.

Prior to the vote the town council had been warned it may have to cover part of a £500,000 bill for a transport hub scheme if the demolition did not go ahead.

• MP's bus shelter stance branded 'disingenuous'

In a letter sent before the meeting , County Hall officials warned that if the demolition did not go ahead, workers would down tools and swathes of land for the new hub would be left as a construction site.

The town council originally backed the creation of the transport hub and the demolition.

Campaigner Rob Emery told the BBC protesters were "absolutely ecstatic" about the town council's U-turn, but would not leave the shelter until they had written legal assurances from the county council.

"What we've shown is local democracy still matters," he said.

Tuesday's meeting heard impassioned arguments for and against saving the bus shelter, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Sheringham's Mayor, Sue Brisbane, said: "I understand some people are unhappy and I regret that but why did they not say anything months ago?

"I do not appreciate being pressured into decisions or having my integrity questioned by people… who do not understand due process."

She said she believed the revamp would help improve the town.

However, Liz Withington, a Liberal Democrat who represents Sheringham on North Norfolk District Council, said there were only four to six bus shelters of that kind left in the UK.

"It is important from a national perspective that we preserve buildings of this era," she said.

Following the vote, a spokesman for the county council said they were "disappointed" by the decision but understood the reasons for it in the face of "intense media and local scrutiny".

He said: "We will respect that decision and will now stop all work and withdraw from the site as soon as possible."

It said a "key element" of the scheme would have widened the footpath outside the shelter and addressed a safety concern which would need to be reviewed.

Steff Aquarone, Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, praised campaigners for not backing down.

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