AN APPLICATION has been submitted that would see a miniature-railway workshop at a Furness park extended.

The extra space at the building in Barrow Park would be used as a meeting room and for 'extra storage for the day-to-day running' of the model railway.

The submission to the borough council from the Furness Model Railway Club would also see six solar panels installed on the roof to supplement the generator the club uses for power.

A covering letter submitted as part of the application says: "The development will complement the existing nature of the park, mimicking the appearance of the [Barrow Park] signal box in Furness Railway colours, in keeping with the Victorian appearance of the park."

The letter says the railway workshop does not have electricity.

"We also propose to have a modern twist by installing a small array of solar panels on the roof facing the lake, to power lights and recharge the locomotive batteries on site and to complement the existing generator that is housed at the back of the workshop facing Park Drive," it says.

A statement of significance submitted in support of the application says the solar panels would cover an area of 4.2m by 1m and would be visible from the side of the building that faces the lake. 

The statement says the miniature railway dates from the late 1960s, and that the current workshop dates from 2011.

The building would be clad in shiplap - a type of wooden board - on the elevations facing the lake, car park and skatepark. It would have wooden doors and windows.

The Furness Model Railway Club is to host its 59th Model Railway and Transport Exhibition later this year. 

The event is to take place at Walney School in Sandy Gap Lane on October 8 and October 9.