PLANS for the expansion and redevelopment of Carlisle Railway Station will involve the demolition of two major city shops.

Carlisle’s railway station is set to undergo a major redevelopment thanks to £20 million from the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal.

And new details about the major Carlisle Station Gateway project have been released this week.

As planning authority, Carlisle City Council has been asked for planning permission to demolish the former Staples store on Station Business Park.

The demolition of the Staples store will facilitate the creation of a new car park for the station, paving the way for its expansion.

Cumbria County Council has requested permission for the works which will involve access to the other existing stores on James Street.

A report prepared for a meeting of the Borderland Growth Partnership this week reveals that the Matalan store will also be demolished to facilitate the expansion.

The report states that a key issue in the delivery of Carlisle Railway Station’s redevelopment is: “The Southern Gateway land assembly will need to be completed in advance of finalisation of the full surface car park construction.

“This will require the Matalan lease to have terminated/ended. Letters sent out. Due to be resolved December 2022.”

Cumbria County Council is the landlord of the business park.

The council has confirmed that the demolition of Matalan will happen after the lease expires in October 2025.

Although Staples and Matalan are one building, demolition works planned in 2022 will only demolish Staples, and Matalan will continue to operate from the existing site.

Carlisle MP John Stevenson said that the station redevelopment will be positive 'for the region if not South West Scotland as well'.

“The regeneration is part of the Borderlands Growth Initiative, it’s hugely welcome," he said. "Infrastructure is part of regeneration of the area.

“It’s very exciting because it’ll be the first refurbishment of the station in many years and the station badly needs to be modernised.”

The redevelopment has been secured through joint working between Cumbria County Council, Carlisle City Council, Network Rail and Avanti.

Mr Stevenson said: “It’s been extremely collegiate and it’s a really important investment in the city.

“For the first time in almost decades, there’s a huge amount of investment coming into the city.”

READ MORE: Staples store to be demolished in city station redevelopment