reopens

A LONDON tube station has reopened after a huge £35million renovation.

Colindale tube station on the Northern Line reopened fully to the public this week with a grand new station entrance.

According to Ian Visits, it is London Underground’s first modern tube station built using a timber construction.

Replacing the former station building – which was much smaller – commuters will find the ticketing hall completely decked out with timber wood.

The wood is meant to reference the area’s aviation heritage as well, as the station sits where the London Aerodrome used to be and host air shows with early versions of planes which were made of wood.

The Aerodrome was then later turned into the RAF Hendon military base.

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The roof has also been designed so that it has a flat section and an arched section, so that the former collects rain and the latter lets rain water run off.

It has been designed this way to stop drains from overflowing.

Part of the roof is also a ‘green’ roof, which means it has plants and vegetation on it.

Inside the ticket hall is the old station clock as well, which has been cleaned up.

There is a new lift for commuters too, as well as large windows letting light flood in and the public to see the trains on the platforms.

Outside the station, pavements have been widened too.

During the construction work, the old platforms were destroyed but two ‘dinner plates’ at either end of the platforms were salvaged.

They were used as warning signals to train drivers during World War II to not stop too long at the station as it was a prime bombing location.

The ‘dinner plates’ were then donated to the local RAF museum.

The final bits of work on the station are currently being completed as passengers use the station once again, with hopes of everything being done by June 2026.

This includes demolishing the old station building, letting out a small retail space – most likely to a café and adding an accessible toilet.

The project on the station has taken place gradually over the past couple of years and has been carried out due to the rising population in the area.

The former station would have been at capacity by the end of 2026, but the new station means that the station will be large enough to accommodate for the new housing projects in the area.

London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, said: “The Mayor and I feel strongly that everyone should be able to enjoy everything our great capital has to offer, which means it’s vital we make our transport network as accessible as possible.

“I’m delighted that Colindale is now the 94th step-free Tube station and will benefit from a whole host of other improvements to not only improve accessibility but also support major housing developments in the local area, as well as boosting local businesses and inclusive economic growth.

“More than a third of Underground stations across the capital are step-free and we are determined to keep growing this number as we build a fairer, better London for everyone.”

In other rail news, the world’s most famous train is running services from a major UK city next year.

Plus, five abandoned UK railway stations set to reopen with new train routes – as part of £200million expansion.

It’s opening night at Scotland’s newest community pub, Oakbank Inn, which sits on the Holy Loch in the village of Sandbank, Argyll. It’s a clear, cold night, and the inn couldn’t look more welcoming: a cosy glow from within the historic building, the Cowal hills beyond. The Christmas lights are twinkling, the glasses are charged and there’s a palpable sense of goodwill, cheer, and plenty of pride in the air. By 6pm, it’s buzzing. Locals are already propping up the bar as a stylish woman sweeps in and bags the last table. She is Debbie Rycroft, a local haberdasher. “A pint in my own local,” she smiles happily, relishing a toast with her husband and equally dapper 19-year-old son.

First-night hiccups are limited to a wonky nozzle and a brief worry about a small radiator leak. “How many people to fix a heater?” quips someone as a line of concerned faces survey the scene. Almost immediately, a punter walks in with a radiator key. All sorted. Someone orders a Guinness; the bartender pulls it off. A two-part pour, pitchblack perfection with a balanced, creamy top. Good things come to those who wait? Well, this one’s been three years in the making.

The Oakbank, a landmark building at the heart of Sandbank for the last 160 years, closed at the end of 2022, like so many businesses that struggled in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Next came the closure of the nearby Holy Loch inn. The village was left without a pub – a huge loss for a rural community.

A group of locals got together in early 2023, formed a committee, chaired by Sue McKillop, and began the long slog to buy the Oakbank. “It’s been an uphill struggle,” says Ian MacNaughton, another founding committee member. “I just didn’t think the hill would be so steep!” Now retired, MacNaughton remembers sneaking into the Oakbank for a pint, aged 16. These days he’s learning about compliance laws. “We must do everything right.”

After an initial rejection, their persistence finally paid off last December with the award of a Scottish Land grant just shy of £150,000, covering most of the purchase price. In January, McKillop advertised shares, raising more than £23,000 and an “inspiring amount of enthusiasm” from locals. By April this year, they had the keys. It’s been nonstop ever since up until opening night last Saturday, she says.

While the shares didn’t reach the £90,000 target, people have contributed “thousands of volunteer hours” to get the place ready, Dawn Petherick tells me. They shifted and updated the bar, now an airy sky blue, while the old wood burner’s still there but “needing work”. Another one for the list. And Petherick’s list is long. She is Oakbank’s development officer, a fixed-term post funded by the initial grant, and, like everyone else involved, she’s been busy all year.

The Oakbank has been running pop-ups, workshops and charity mornings during the refurbishment. More events are being added all the time. “Whatever the community wants – knitting groups, book clubs, exhibitions, ‘sober nights’ – it should be a hub more than a pub,” says Petherick. “Somewhere to alleviate social isolation.”

And that is needed more than ever. Yet another local pub, the Strone Inn across the bay, is set to close at the end of the year. Like many local business owners, Stephen Mitchell is supportive of the Oakbank project. “Fair play to them,” he says. “It’s taken them three years, so it’s a real result.” But, he warns, “the hard work starts now as things are really tough”.

McKillop agrees. “It’s exciting but a wee bit scary,” she says. “We are under no illusions as to the challenges that lie ahead. Like any pub venue, we will need to keep innovating in order to survive.” But she can take comfort from recent figures; community pubs are doing well. According to the charity Plunkett UK, community-owned businesses are “highly resilient”, with a five-year survival rate of 98%.

“We’re delighted that the Oakbank Community Inn is opening under community ownership,” says James Alcock, Plunkett UK’s chief executive. “We see time and again how saving local assets like village pubs protects vital services and social spaces, helping to reduce isolation and strengthen communities.”

Future plans include refurbishing accommodation upstairs, a studio/gallery space in the adjoining cottage and renovating the commercial kitchen. In a nice piece of alchemy, the pub sits opposite Sandbank’s community-owned garden, so its polytunnels and raised beds will be nurturing hyper-local vegetables destined for that kitchen.

But the best thing about the Oakbank is the bit you see last. At the back of the bar, big glass doors offer views across the Holy Loch. It’s inaccessible now, but outside the doors, a grassy verge leads to the Holy Loch marina below. It has its own regulars hauling out on the slipway – giant Atlantic grey seals. With neighbours like that, you can see why McKillop has ambitious plans. “We’re going to rebuild the rotten deck and make a bridge to connect to the marina,” she says.

That should please boat-owners Tony, Rob and Alan, enjoying a pint beside the bar. “Sailors don’t like going places where you can’t go to a pub,” says Rob. “And Sandbank’s had absolutely nothing to offer.”

“Hang on,” offers Tony. “It’s got a lot of history.”

But Rob’s having none of it. “You can’t drink a pint of history.”