A HUGE £12m development and restoration of an East Lancashire Railway depot is set to create ‘the country’s best heritage railway’.

Plans have been approved this week for the development of the historic locomotive and carriage works site at Buckley Wells in Bury, which sometimes plays host to the most famous of all steam engines, The Flying Scotsman.

The work includes restoring the listed 1857 locomotive works building and the construction of a new locomotive running shed along with workshops and a training centre.

A new carriage shed will also be built to store rolling stock undercover, which the railway said could double the lifespan of carriages.

The popular attraction operates along a 13-mile route with stations in Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall. 

Mike Kelly, ELR chairman, outlined the many benefits of the proposals to planners, before they backed the proposals unanimously.

He said: “This is an important and ground-breaking application. For the last 50 years running as a charity the ELR has been ably supported by thousands of volunteers who freely give their skills and time to protect and preserve this area’s rich industrial transport heritage.

“The ELR currently attracts more than 200,000 visitors per year.

“The contribution to the local economy grew significantly between 2008 and 2019, where visitors jobs and value added has doubled.

“A new 10-year strategy has been developed wahich predicts visitor numbers growing by 30 per cent and an increase in jobs from 150 to 220.

“Without this plan it’s unlikely the infrastructure could grow to meet the plans.

“Our vision is for Buckley Wells to be an engineering centre of excellence, building on our apprenticeship programme and encouraging more young people into this specialised and sought after employment.

“We want to be the best heritage railway in the UK.”

The Buckley Wells site is on Baron Street, close to Bury Girls and Boys Grammar schools.

A report to members of the borough's planning committee outlined the background to the development of the nine hectare site.

It said: “The ELR plays a key role as a visitor and heritage attraction in the North West. It has its main workshop at Buckley Wells where locomotives, carriages and wagons are housed.

“In recent years the ELR has been pursuing works to help improve visitor experience at Buckley Wells.

“It is the critical and indispensable base for storage and maintenance of historic locomotives and carriages such as the Flying Scotsman.”

The report added that the current building was deteriorating badly so needed restoration and that the new building would be used so the fleet could be ‘maintained to the highest possible standards’.

The ELR will also use the building to train future generations of volunteer engineers which will be necessary to operate the heritage railway in the future.

The report added: “In essence, development works are essential for the managed growth of the ELR on a long term and sustainable basis as a premier visitor and heritage attraction.”

The eastern part of the site close to the entrance will be developed into a car park for staff, volunteers and visitors. This would result in the removal of some buildings in that area which would not be needed due to the new facilities.

Members present unanimously backed the plans.