National Railway Museum unveils York and Shildon schemes

The National Railway Museum (NRM) has moved forward with capital projects at its sites in York and Shildon.

NRM submitted a reserved matters planning application on 10 January for a new Central Hall at its York venue. This welcome space and gallery, designed by Feilden Fowles, will be located between the museum’s Great Hall and Station Hall.

The £16.5m Central Hall plans form an early stage of the delivery of York Central, a 45-hectare regeneration site that is a partnership with Network Rail, Homes England, City of York Council and the museum. The improvements are expected to be completed by 2025, which will mark the museum’s 50th anniversary. 

NRM has also unveiled details of a £5.9m collection building for Locomotion in Shildon, and will submit a planning application later this year. The scheme can be seen at an exhibition being held at Locomotion between 19 and 23 January.

The collection building, designed by AOC Architecture, is expected to open in 2023 ahead of celebrations to mark the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 2025.

The York and Shildon schemes are part of Vision 2025, a six-year NRM strategy to redevelop both sites.

“We are very pleased to reach this milestone and submit the planning application [for Central Hall],” said NRM director Judith McNicol. “Central Hall is a major part of the wider Vision 2025 strategy which will not only improve our offer, but also help us to inspire the next generation of engineers.”