Shawford Station cafe and gelato shop one of South Western Railway's community use space projects

Community Use Spaces

Bringing redundant station buildings back into use for our community

As part of our commitment to communities, we have made redundant space in some of our station buildings available for use by local groups. We have a dedicated Community Rail Network Officer to support us on this project and are working to engage with our any one interested in a community based project at the following stations:

Spaces within stations - *subject to DfT approval

Station Space available and details
Addlestone Old gents toilets and small office
Branksome Two rooms on platform
Brentford* Retail unit - 23 sq metres
Brookwood 1. Ex-retail unit off ticket hall & 2. Garden area
Chertsey Ground floor room with attached WC
Hilsea Small station building
Mortlake Ex-retail unit
Mortlake Former taxi order office - 11.73 sq metres
New Milton Downside  former retail unit - 29.44 sq metres
Oxshott Two rooms on platform
Portsmouth and Southsea Large room
Portsmouth Harbour Please get in touch to find out more
Strawberry Hill Former taxi order office - 21.27 sq metres
Teddington* Former taxi order office - 20.34 sq metres
Wandsworth Town Rooms on two platforms
Weybridge Former Taxi office - 10.93 sq metres
Whitton Please get in touch to find out more
Whitton* Former taxi order office - 9.6 sq metres
Witley* Retail unit - 13.9 sq metres
Worplesdon Ex-retail unit
Worplesdon*
Retail unit pf1 - 9.19 sq metres 
Yeovil Junction Please get in touch to find out more

Station houses - *subject to DfT approval

Station Information and details
Andover station house* Please get in touch to find out more
Brentford station house* Please get in touch to find out more
Chertsey station house* Flat above ticket office
Cosham station house* Flat above ticket office
Godalming station house* Two storey station house
Teddington station house* Flat above ticket office
Whitchurch station house* Two storey station house
Witley Fully refurbished house

Each space is very different, varying from under-stairs storage to large rooms. Equally, the condition of these spaces requires different levels of attention and refurbishment.

While SWR has committed to working with groups on these projects, many of the locations will require third party funding to support the development.

If you are interested in finding out more about the available spaces, and discussing how these could be used by local communities, please get in touch with Paula - our dedicated Community Rail Manager.

Our latest successful redundant space story:

Solent Remade - Havant

A redundant room at Havant station has become the home of a thriving new community asset, after SWR agreed to hand the space over to local Community Interest Company, Solent Remade.

The Old Parcels Office at the station was last used as the station's taxi office but, as it was unlikely to be used for that purpose again, SWR sought to find a community use for it. After working closely with Solent Remade, SWR agreed to lease the space to the CIC on a peppercorn rent, so that they could use it as a hub for resource repair, reduce or reuse projects.

Solent Remade are just one of the many community groups which are finding new and practical uses for redundant SWR spaces which might otherwise remain vacant for years.

Anne Sayer, a Director of Solent Remade, said: “We can’t express our gratitude enough to all those organisations that have helped us make this project a reality - especially South Western Railway and Community Rail Network, without whom it really would not have been possible”

“Solent Remade is looking forward to using the space to make a real difference in the local community”.
A redundant room at Havant station has become the home of a thriving new community asset, after SWR agreed to hand the space over to local Community Interest Company, Solent Remade