The Brunel Goods Shed, Station Yard, Stroud
Prospectus for interested companies and organisations
Information pack attached

Stroud Preservation Trust (SPT) is the leaseholder of The Brunel Goods Shed, Station Yard, Stroud. We are responsible for the building and for attracting end users and have worked with many organisations over the past years to bring some kind of end user to the building.

This iconic building has attracted a lot of interest but it has limitations for its use. SPT Trustees have spent a great deal of time and resources in supporting new ideas for the Goods Shed and to date there has been no viable project to take on the building.

The decision has been made to contract Carters the Builders to close in and safeguard this listed building with shutters; fill the floor area and make it into a viable, practical storage space with parking and potential for offices. The office block has not been brought fully into use and there is no electricity in the building as yet.

This prospectus for the Goods Shed asks interested parties to develop their ideas to a certain standard before Stroud Preservation Trust can consider them. Along side the questions below which we will need information on, we have put together an information pack which fills in many of the queries on the building to help initial ideas and planning.

When the contractors have finished, the building will be closed to the general public. Any viewing of the 3000 square foot space needs to be by special arrangement with SPT or the renting agent. Similarly to see the prospective office space.

If you are interested in the Goods Shed in any way please write to us at the above address and answer the following:-

Prospectus for interested companies and community organisations

Full contact details including phone and e mail and any website (if relevant).

• Please tell us about your organisational constitution – charity, plc, unincorporated group, club, social enterprise, CIC, etc

Your business/project proposal outline.

• Please give some indication as to whether this is an early idea or is a fully worked up proposal.
• Does your proposal have a local community focus?

Your financial position with regard to this project/proposal.

• Do you have funds to finance the capital and revenue parts of your proposal?
• Do you have to raise funds? How will you do that?
• Have you researched where those funds would come from?
• Is there an outline business plan?
• Would you be willing to purchase the remaining lease from the SPT?

Building renovation and rent

• Will the building be suitable for your purposes as a closed and shuttered space?
• Will you need to do extensive internal alterations?
• Have you costed those alterations.
• Have you considered rental value? What value have you put in your business plan? Our estimates put the rent around £20k/y, as we have to build a building renewal fund.
• You will need to cost in a legally binding agreement with the SPT to insure the building (alternatively, the SPT does it and increases the ‘rent’). SPT may well be interested to sell on the lease to a prospective organisation.

Lease

• The information pack gives you details regarding the current state of the lease. What is the ideal length of lease for your project?

External needs

• The current SPT scheme will provide 8 parking spaces at the east end of the building, with 7 further spaces in front of the offices. What other external ground needs would you require for a successful project? Please see the information pack for ground plan, footprint and negotiations with Network Rail and their car parking needs.

Information Pack includes:-

• Ground plans showing ownership information and boundaries
• Description of the history of the building
• Previous project ideas for the building
• SPT’s role and lease arrangements and car parking
• Our current plans for the building, time scale and services that will be available when finished
• Listed building issues and relationships with English Heritage and SDC

History and quality of the building

Description

This unique railway goods shed built in 1845 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway is thought to be the oldest remaining wayside shed of its type. It is a Tudor Gothic revival style, open shed with offset miniature flying buttresses. Measuring 30m by 13m it is built of squared and coursed local Cotswold limestone with ashlar dressings and chimneys, it has a Welsh slate roof. It has a small 2 storey office addition of 1890, which replaced an original single storey lean-to. There are three arched road vehicle entrances and two rail entrances, one of which has had an early C20th steel lintel inserted. The original rail was broad gauge. On the rail side, externally, painted lettering reads’ GWR STROUD STATION EXPRESS GOODS TRAIN SERVICES – DAY TRANSITS BETWEEN IMPORTANT TOWNS’, set above eight blocked gothic-arched window openings.

Internally there is a raised loading platform cut out for road vehicle loading positions. It is likely that originally a timber platform ran down the middle of the Goods Shed.

Steel framed early C20th extensions and a signal box (installed in 1905) were demolished in 1976 leaving the original building. It was built to a Brunel standard design and is now the only survivor of this type. (E T MacDermot, History of the Great Western Railway vol 1 1964 and O S Nock, The Railway Heritage of Britain 1983).

History

The Brunel Goods Shed was used as covered accommodation for unloading and transferring goods to road vehicles, initially horse drawn carts and later lorries.

It supplied local shops and industries until 1966 when it was closed. It has not been used since. It was one of a string of smaller, similar Goods Sheds at Coates, Brimscombe and Stonehouse, all of which have now been demolished.

The slate roof was removed in 1984 by British Rail as it was dangerous to the public. The building was listed grade II in 1985 and subsequently upgraded to II* status. In 1986 Stroud Preservation Trust took a 40 year lease on the building and organised major repair and improvement works to the external shell, spending £130,000 in 1988. This comprised a new slate roof with all rainwater goods, stonework repairs and installation of services.

In the most recent work, a further £100k is being spent on the building. Roller shutter doors are being installed to provide security, and the track bed within the building is being floored over to create a uniform floor level throughout the shed. The remains of the external platform are being removed to generate an additional parking/storage area. The offices are in need of refurbishment, but are secure, wind and weather proof.

Previous options of use for the Brunel Goods Shed

Since 1986, individuals and groups looking at uses for the Brunel Goods Shed have commissioned 15 proposals/feasibility studies. None of the proposals were realised. Either the building was not large enough or was unsuitable, the necessary alterations were not allowed by English Heritage or the funds were lacking for the high costs of the necessary alterations. All the proposals were negotiated and discussed with Stroud Preservation Trust (SPT).

Since 1986 SPT has maintained insurance, rent and vandalism commitments as lease holders, and has continuously advocated the building.

In 2009 SPT decided to take action because of increasing concern for the condition of the Brunel Goods Shed mainly due to vandalism and the need to secure the building by closing off the arched openings. Also all available grants terminate at the end of FY 09/10.

Recent History & Track Record of Goods Shed

1983 Roof slates removed by British Rail

1984 Stroud Preservation Trust (SPT) identifies building as a key Stroud building and of historic importance.

1985 Spot listed grade II by Department of the Environment. Potential uses identified by SPT – Covered market, Railway Museum, Theatre, Night-club/Discotheque, Snooker Hall, Pub/restaurant, Social club, light industrial use

1986 SPT acquires 40-year lease from British Rail. Rev W V Awdry becomes Patron Feasibility Study ‘A Theatre for Stroud’ by Michael Reardon & Associates commissioned by a local group. The alteration costs were too high, whilst providing only 323 seats.

1987 SPT commissions proposal for repair & conversion Feilden Clegg Architects Bath.

1988 Repair of the shell by SPT, including new slates, stone repairs & services. Raised £130,000 for repair costs of £129,187. SPT markets the building through Andrew Watton, Commercial Estate Agents, Stroud. Community suggestion to house the Woodchester Replica Roman Mosaic. The building is too narrow to fit the mosaic. SPT commissioned URBED study ‘Making the most of the Goods Shed’

1989 Local charity obtains planning permission for use as a Music Resource Centre.

1990 Feasibility Study SPT commissioned URBED study ‘Developing a Music Resource Centre’ to support the charity. Alteration costs were too high for either a mortgage or fundraising so the offer was withdrawn. Listing status upgraded to II*.

1993 Commercial proposal for an Antiques & Arts Centre from QED. Offer withdrawn as alteration costs too high.

1994-5 Commercial proposal for a restaurant. Offer withdrawn because of high alteration costs.

1996 Commercial proposal for offices – Oceanrose. Offer withdrawn, as English Heritage would not allow main shed to be divided into separate offices. 1997-8 Commercial proposal for entertainment centre. Offer withdrawn after difficulty in dealing with British Rail for a new longer lease. 1998 Community suggestion for Real Tennis Court proposal. Could not obtain permission from English Heritage to extend building. Commercial proposal for offices for Groundscape. Could not obtain permission from English Heritage to divide building internally.

1999 Local charity ‘Countrywide workshops’ proposal but building could not be divided internally. Commercial proposal from Ebley Coach Services for bus & coach storage. Uncertainty over the building of the Transport Interchange combined with the difficulty of dealing with Railtrack over permissions and a new lease led to the scheme not going ahead. Museum proposal for National ‘Childhood Heritage Museum’. A better site found elsewhere.

2000 Community suggestion for Indoor cricket school. Not pursued by local group as costs of alteration too high.

2001- Uncertainty for Transport Interchange blights further proposals

2005 Feasibility Bid for Community Arts Venue 2007 Social Enterprise proposal (other building found)

2008 Community suggestion – Stroudwater textile Trust visitor centre – not an economic proposition.

2009 Approaches of interest, local businesses, storage and enterprise.

2010 Renovation and ‘closing’ of the Goods Shed – released car parking spaces

Ownership and Car Parking

Ownership – Current position July 2009 Freehold

• The current freehold of the Goods Shed is held by Network Rail (previously Railtrack and British Rail).
• It is very unlikely that Network Rail will transfer ownership to any party. However the necessary negotiations could be a long term strategy for an end user

Long Lease

• The current 40-year lease with British Rail (now Network Rail), dated 29th September 1986 is held by Stroud Preservation Trust Ltd at a rental of £1,000 per annum. There is the legal right to renew the lease for a further 15 years, and continuing further 15 year time bands thereafter.
• SPT have been negotiating a 99 year lease. Network Rail have offered such a lease. Final details are still in discussion but it is unlikely that SPT will pursue that long lease unless there is an end user who needs the lease to be in place to raise capital funds.

Future sub-letting

• For any end user a variety of lease options and sub letting options are available. These would be subject to negotiation but SPT would be interested to hear lease option proposals as part of your project outline.

The much discussed transport interchange

• In the previous Local Report a transport interchange was proposed for this area. Nothing has come of any discussions and funding is unlikely for such capital works. There is now pressure on Stroud District Council to drop any mention of the transport interchange from its next local plan alongside the County Council so that the potential planning blight does not affect the Goods Shed any more.

Parking

• The Goods Shed has around 15 parking bays in its ‘footprint’. Currently 7 of these parking spaces are used and charged to Alcoa who manage the Network Rail ownership of the land around the Goods Shed. In the renovation the end stub platform will be removed offering more car parking options and better access for larger vehicles.
• It is extremely unlikely that any end user will be able to negotiate any further parking from Network Rail. They need every space that is there, but there is income earning potential from the existing and new spaces for the leaseholder.
• The door between the London Road Car Park and the Station Yard could be opened. It has been locked for years because of increased vandalism on the empty building. However this could change if there is a regular end user in the building.

Brunel Good Shed
Building plans and services

It is the intention of Stroud Preservation trust to have the Goods Shed developed as a storage facility by the end July 2010.

The building will have:

• Roller shutters in the 5 archways • A solid floor across its 300 sq feet (including over the rails)
• Access into the office block and repaired windows
• Drains and sewage checked and certified
• Repaired glass roof lights
• Access steps to the east end of the building
• Removed stub platform

NB Three phase electricity will need to be installed in the building. SPT continues to fundraise for this.

Planning permissions

• Because this is a Grade ll* listed building all the plans for change have had to be discussed and passed by English Heritage as well as Stroud District Council giving us change of use permission.
• There can be no additional changes to the building without further agreements from English Heritage.
• Any change of use from the current planning permission (storage and offices) will be subject to a planning permission application.

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