A cafe at Lancaster Railway Station will undergo a change of name and branding if plans get the go-ahead.
Caterleisuregroup has applied for permission for work to rebrand Cafe Express on Platform 3 at the station to Refresh.
Refresh is a brand of station cafe which replaces the older Cafe Express locations with modernised layouts, digital menus and expanded hot and cold food options, and is already in place at other UK railway stations.
The application to Lancaster City Council is for a "certificate of lawfulness for proposed works to a Listed Building for refurbishment and rebranding of the existing Café Express food and beverage unit on Platform 3 to the new Refresh brand".
Lancaster Railway Station is Grade II listed and dates principally from 1846, then was subsequently extended in 1852 and again between 1900 and 1906.
The original station is a significant Tudor Revival style building attributed to Sir William Tite.
In 1990 the station was modernised and altered by British Rail's Architects Department.
"The existing café unit is located within accommodation which historically formed part of the second and third-class waiting facilities adjacent to the current passenger lounge and 1906 passenger entrance," says a report submitted with the plans.
"Historic British Rail information...identifies the space as having been designated for use as a waiting room, server and kitchen by 1994.
"The unit was refurbished in 2016 to create the Café Express food and beverage facility.
"As a result, the existing unit comprises a combination of historic station fabric and later commercial shopfitting, fixtures, fittings, equipment and decorative finishes associated with its operational café use.
"The current proposals do not seek to alter the established use of the accommodation and do not represent a new conversion of the listed building.
"The project instead comprises a refresh of the existing commercial fit-out and the introduction of the new Refresh branding."
Planned work includes alteration and refurbishment of the existing modern serving counter, redecoration, replacing furniture, replacing sections of floor finishes and entrance matting, changes to modern digital display screens and lighting, and replacement of existing Café Express artwork, graphics and internal branding with Refresh branding, as well as a new Refresh sign.
The report says the "change from Café Express to Refresh branding is considered to result in no material impact upon the architectural or historic significance of Lancaster Railway Station".
"Overall, the proposals amount to a light refresh and rebranding of an established commercial café fit-out rather than an alteration of the listed building itself."
Lancaster City Council will make a decision on the application in due course.
The plans are publicly available to read in the planning section of the council website lancaster.gov.uk, reference number 26/00858/HLDC.
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