Crawley MP, Henry Smith, has written to Southern Railway asking that they sympathetically consider the continuation of the independent café at Three Bridges Station following the current redevelopment of the facility including planned new retail units.
Henry said:
“As a regular commuter of many years from Three Bridges Station, like many others, I’ve grown fond of the excellent home-cooked, fairly priced, quality food and freshly brewed tea and coffee provided by the station café located between the ticket office and platforms.
“I very much welcome the £26 million investment being put in to upgrading the station to make it fit as a 21st century public transport interchange, but I sincerely hope that with this progress we can retain the local character embodied by this small independent trader.
“The big international chains like Starbucks and Costa Coffee are fine, but nothing quite beats the personal service, friendly face and delicious fare of the local station café, and all for just a few quid.
“On a cold morning with a long day ahead in the Commons whilst waiting for the train to take me to London, there’s nothing quite like a warming cup of coffee and a fried sandwich to fortify you!
“Supporting local small business is also important of course and this is particularly important as the popular florist next door has decided to retire when the units finally close for redevelopment in the coming weeks.”