PLANS have been approved to give Dawlish railway station a facelift. 

Listed Building consent has been granted by Teignbridge Council for the maintenance project which will mainly involve repainting the Grade II listed station. 

Rail operator Great Western Railway submitted proposals which will return the station to its traditional colours of chocolate and cream. 

The plans involved redecorating the station building, platforms and connecting footbridge. 

The refurbishment has received the backing of Dawlish Town Council which said it would be ‘very please to see restoration works at the station done’.

The bulk of the redecoration is to repaint surfaces and a decision was made by GWR to restore the colour scheme to British Railways Western region colours from post 1948 to mid-1960s, which are chocolate and cream, with elements of white and black. 

Also planned is the replacement of the posts of one of the remaining historic ‘running boards’, the large signs which display the name of the station. 

This will reinstate them at their original height of about seven feet, details and appearance. 

GWR is also planning work on the down platform. 

A statement to Teignbridge Council explained: ‘The Down platform buildings having for many years fallen into disuse recently had their sea elevation vertically sliding timber sash windows reinstated. 

‘A surviving window aperture currently infilled with glass blocks exists on the country end under the footbridge. 

‘It is proposed to recreate the original window design to match those on the up platform.’

The station was built in an Italianate style for South Devon Railway, and opened in 1875 on the site of an earlier station building. 

The original timber building was opened in 1847 as part of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s design for the line, and was destroyed by fire in 1873. 

The running board is of an early cast iron type, probably around 1860, as originally used by South Devon Railway Company. 

The planning statement says: ’This is a rare early survivor which has lost its original posts which in the past have been replaced with modern much thinner fabrications which have now rusted through.’

The station suffered significant damage during the storms in February 2014.