Residents were given an update on the progress on work to secure the restoration of Brandon’s historic railway station building when they attended a public meeting organised and hosted by Nick Timothy MP in the town on Friday 4 April 2025.
Between 40 and 50 people attended the meeting, which was open to all.
The event was moderated and chaired by long-time local resident, and former district and town councillor for Brandon, David Palmer. Also in attendance was local District and County Councillor, Victor Lukaniuk.
The future of Brandon Station was raised. Mr Timothy said he had been monitoring the discussions about the need to restore the Grade 2 listed station building. The station opened in 1845 and the there had been plans to knock the original station down in 2020. Yet it was saved by a Save Britain’s Heritage campaign. This led to the building — a monument to the golden age of railways — receiving listed status.
Following a question about the latest on work to secure the building’s restoration, Mr Palmer said: “There is a group in Brandon called Friends of Brandon Station (FOBS) which was created last June. A lot of charitable trusts and organisations are now working on getting that developed.
“Negotiations are going on as we speak with a developer… A lot of paperwork is being done but it’s going on at the moment. We intend to have another FOBS meeting at the Royal British Legion in about six weeks so you are welcome to come along to that. That will be advertised on the Brandon Town Council website.”
One resident expressed concern about the process of local government change that will likely see West Suffolk District Council and Suffolk County Council dissolved and replaced by one or more unitary councils.
In response, Mr Timothy said: “It’s true that decision-making feels quite distant in Bury St Edmunds and it is true that it feels even more distant when it’s in Ipswich… So what I’ve been saying internally is if we are going to do this then people in Brandon should be able to influence the things that happen in your town much more directly with more powers for your town council.
“And I use road safety and speeding as the best example because local people should not have to get on their knees before some official saying ‘can you do something about speeding down my road before somebody dies please?’”
In his question, Cllr Lukaniuk pointed to the difficulty for Brandon residents in securing affordable housing, and the restriction on development in part of the area, put in place to protect the stone curlew.
Mr Timothy replied that he was keen for to see a new approach to development which is sensitive to local areas and the needs and views of residents, but allows necessary construction to go ahead. He said: “We are going to need to build more houses. The question is one of balance because the reason people often don’t want developments near them is that the developments are sometimes ugly [and] don’t come with the right infrastructure and amenities. We’ve got to get that right so that areas improve.”
And in response to a question from Brandon’s Reverend Dennis Coburn about how charities can be supported in helping vulnerable people, Mr Timothy said: “There are good people trying to get things done but they can’t because the system gets in the way. We need a lot of change, whether it’s about the role of regulators themselves, or whether it’s about the regulations that come out of government, or if it’s just about the balance of power between the centre in London or Ipswich … and the very local. In the end the people who are the best judges of what is right for a place are the people who live there.”
A number of people asked about the topic of illegal immigration and the Channel crossings by those coming to the UK without permission. There was a lively exchange of views about the importance of tackling the issue, and the ways in which it could and should be done.
After the event, Mr Timothy said: “I always enjoy the chance to meet and chat to residents and this was no exception. I answered questions from residents at a similar type of meeting in Brandon before the election last year, but it was great to be able to do it again as the local Member of Parliament, and I hope the number of people who are interested in this type of event continues to increase.
He added: “This is how democracy ought to work. I hope to do more public meetings like this in other parts of West Suffolk. I am keen to hear from, and speak to, as many residents as possible as I continue in my work fighting hard for our area in Parliament.”
