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Head Office

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The SVR's '''Head Office''' is at 1 Comberton Place, Kidderminster, DY10 1QR. It is located 50 yards from [[Kidderminster | Kidderminster Town station]] and provides accommodation for [[SVR(H)|Severn Valley Railway Holdings]], [[Guarantee Company]] and [[Charitable Trust]] activities.

==Previous headquarters==
The earliest headquarters of the SVR were at [[Bridgnorth]]. They were moved to the [[Bewdley| Bewdley station building]] in 1973 under the chairmanship of [[Sir Gerald Nabarro]]<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] p. 180.</ref><ref group="note">Marshall states that although the Bewdley Station building had more rooms, the move was viewed with suspicion at the time, given Nabarro's rumoured plans to abandon Bridgnorth.</ref>.

==Head office from 2014==
In 2013 the Holdings Board announce the proposed relocation of the Company Offices to Comberton Place in Kidderminster. Reasons for the proposal included:<ref>SVR News 183</ref>
*Bewdley station was essentially a domestic dwelling building with steep stairs and limited fire exits
*The building was too small to accommodate staff on a daily basis, resulting in the need to work from a room in the old life-expired buffet building, from home or ‘desk hopping’.
*The only meeting room was shared with driving school and station introductions
*The relocation would bring all administration staff under one roof and provide additional office accommodation for the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust, Heritage Skills Training Academy Coordinator and Volunteer Heads of Department.
*The proposed new office was conveniently close to the station, available to rent, and under a funding mechanism agreed with the Council and the building’s owner, the refurbishment costs were to be covered by funding from outside the SVR.

In November 2013 the SVR entered into a 25-year lease with Wyre Forest District Council for 3,000 sq ft of accommodation in the former Council offices rendered vacant by the move to a newer building on Stourport Road.<ref>[https://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/10802371.svr-takes-25-year-lease-on-kidderminster-premises/ ‘SVR takes 25-year lease on Kidderminster premises’, Kidderminster Shuttle, 13th November 2013] (Retrieved 10 February 2020)</ref>
The first five years rental was £5,000 per annum, with two further five-year rental periods at 50% and 75% of market rate. The lease also provides for a tenant only break clause after 5, 10, 15 and 20 years.

==Renovation==
A mixture of volunteers and contractors refitted the building at a projected cost of £149,300.
WFDC allowed two years of non-national domestic rate relief on the SVR’s rates with an SVR undertaking to spend this relief contribution on the refurbishment. This relief provided £144,500 towards the cost.

The SVR occupied the building in April 2014<ref>[https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/business/11245979.severn-valley-railway-chuffed-about-new-office-move-to-kidderminster/ ‘Severn Valley Railway chuffed about new office move to Kidderminster’, Worcester News, 30 May 2014] (Retrieved 10 February 2020)</ref>.

==See also==
[[The Severn Valley Railway in preservation#Current Organisation|Current Organisation]]

==References==
<references/>

==Notes==
<references group="note"/>

==Links==
*[https://www.svr.co.uk/Contact-HeadOffice.aspx 'Contact our Head Office']
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