PLANS have been submitted for a triangle-shape ‘station square’ to be created close to the proposed site of a new railway station for Wellington.

West of England Developments Ltd (WoED) has gone against a previous agreement with Wellington Town Council to provide a ‘square’ courtyard which councillors were to adopt and maintain.

It has also put in the plans to Somerset Council in the knowledge that this year’s change of Government has seen Labour scrap promised funding for the new station, meaning it might now never be built.

The £15million station was planned for a stretch of the main railway line running past the Longforth Farm housing estate, but Network Rail was only intending to provide bare minimum facilities with two platforms and a bridge from one to the other, and a pay car park.

Other facilities, including an access from Nynehead Road and the ‘station square’ were to be provided by WoED in exchange for planning permission to build 200 homes behind the town’s Lidl supermarket.

The ‘station square’ is also planned to have a centrepiece formed by the original pyramidion from Wellington Monument, which was replaced when the National Trust restored the obelisk on the Blackdown Hills.

The stones forming the original 17-feet tall pyramidion - the triangular top of the monument - are currently being stored in a unitary council depot in Chelston.

However, the four-feet tall capstone was re-used by the trust, so the town council would need to source a new one for the ‘station square’.

Planning agent Robin Upton, of CarneySweeney Ltd, said on behalf of WoED the design of the triangular ‘station square’ would be ‘knitted in with surrounding context’.

Mr Upton said: “A strong relationship will be engendered with the existing landscape character, the surrounding residential development, and transport links.

“The public realm space will define the approach to the proposed new railway hub, offering a sense of ‘arrival’.

“It is key that the new train station can be readily accessed by all users with a variety of pedestrian cycle links through the proposed development linking with surrounding residential areas as well as along the main boulevard access route.

“Public open spaces thread through the development offering breathing spaces and buffers between development parcels.

“The public realm to the arrival area of the new train halt will act as key waypoint and welcome to Wellington.

“Key to this area is its use at a multi-functional space with the opportunity for temporary food/drink stands/events and potential pop-up markets.

“The top stone pyramid of the refurbished Wellington Monument will act as a key feature central to the space.

“A strong paving pattern will highlight the rhythm of space.

“Rain garden swales to the edge of the space will aid surface water run-off as well as being a feature that includes informal play routes allowing access among the texture and colour of the planting.

“Square concrete blocks offer seating perches that also act as a bollard but spaced around to allow mixed use space.”