CONCERN was raised over plans to extend the car park at Royston railway station. But it was not the introduction of extra car parking spaces that raised anger – but the fact part of the car park should be developed. British Rail had submitted a planning a

CONCERN was raised over plans to extend the car park at Royston railway station. But it was not the introduction of extra car parking spaces that raised anger - but the fact part of the car park should be developed.

British Rail had submitted a planning application to use part of the site for the development of an MoT servicing unit.

The late Councillor Harold Greenfield said: "This is absolutely disgraceful. If British Rail has the space for buildings then there is space for parking."

He told a meeting of Royston Town Council's planning committee: "It is much more important to provide more spaces for its customers to park their cars, not have them washed or serviced."

The committee said it was aware of problems in roads near to the station where commuters were parking.

It urged British Rail to recognise that its responsibility should be to provide adequate parking spaces.

- Work eventually started on the building of the Coombes Community Centre, in Burns Road, Royston.

And a second phase of the £275,000 project would include a room for children under-five after a campaign showed the need for such a facility on the Burns Road estate.

Figures showed that half of 1,000 under-5s in Royston were living on the estate.

The start of work on the community centre saw the end of a 20-year campaign by members of the Royston Community Association and, previously, the Retreat Parent and Social Group.

- The Crow, Friday, July 25, 1986