The railway station building in Beccles is set to be restored to its former glory.
Plans are in place to provide a cafe and waiting room, toilets and a tourist information point on the historic site, as well as four rental office spaces, a yoga and fitness studio and a smaller studio to be used by the community.
It was the wish of the late owner Arthur Crisp that the station should become a thriving gateway to the town after up to 40 years without facilities specifically for station users.
The building will be taken on and managed by Beccles and District Regeneration Company.
Graham Elliott, Green Party councillor for Beccles north has been working with the Crisp family for the past two years to try and provide some much needed facilities at the station.
He said: 'Our plan is to create a welcoming gateway to Beccles that gives visitors a great first impression of the town.
'We also want to provide some essential railway station facilities including a cafe and waiting room, public toilets, a taxi hotline, cycle hire and tourist information. We want to create a thriving hub of activity that, along with CCTV, will put an end to the vandalism that has plagued the railway station.
'There is tremendous enthusiasm for this project from railway users and people walking their dogs on The Common, with many people saying they will use the cafe and other facilities as soon as they are ready.'
Christine Pinsent, chairman of the Beccles and District Regeneration Company said: 'We are very pleased to support the refurbishment of Beccles Station, working with Graham Elliott and the owners the Crisp family. This is a gateway to Beccles and its refurbishment will be very welcome not only by visitors to Beccles, but by the whole community. We are all looking forward to see it up and running in the next few months. It will showcase Beccles and enhance what we already have in the town.'
Mrs Pinsent said she was also looking to encourage small and start-up businesses in the town, with office space above the main area at affordable rates and with facilities such as broadband.
She said: 'We also want to offer quality training facilities and a good venue for meetings for those travelling from London, Ipswich and Lowestoft with the hourly train service. With trains passing at Beccles it makes a great place for people from either direction to meet.'
Suffolk county councillors have pledged some of their locality budgets to get the project started and New Anglia LEP and NWES are interested in creating extra jobs in the area.
A planning application has been lodged to change the use of the station building, to create a new serving hatch from the cafe directly onto the platform and for a new door to provide access to the proposed public toilets.
Anyone interested in office space or supporting the project can call 01502 715771.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here