Plans for a £1.9 million visitor centre at Claymills Victorian Pumping Station near Burton have moved a crucial step closer after car park problems at the historic landmark were resolved.

The restored steam museum, which dates back to 1885, has been a popular tourist destination for more than 20 years but existing visitor facilities have left it "bursting at the seams", according to organisers.

Now an application to redesign its car park has been approved ahead of plans being submitted to finally make the £1.9 million visitor centre a reality.

Clay Mills Pumping Station will be open free of charge

The museum withdrew its previous application for its Lottery-funded visitor centre as concerns were raised over parking designs which did not link its current car park to the pumping station. The lines were re-drawn and now links to the proposed centre.

The directors also overcame matters arising from the original application, submitted in 2015, which included concerns from Network Rail over an increase in vehicles using the level crossing to access the car park. The objection was withdrawn following discussions between the two companies.

The pumping station is widely run by volunteers at present and the visitor centre will provide further opportunities for new voluntary workers.

Roy Barrett, director of the Claymills Pumping Engines Trust, said the latest approval was “good news” for the team with the second stage of the application now to be submitted in the New Year.

The proposed new visitor centre project will provide improved facilities for both visiting families and hard-working volunteers. The project will also include new archive facilities, the restoration of the original engineer's and pay offices, provision of new pathways and the reconstruction of the uneven yard surface.

It is now full steam ahead for the trust

The new facilities will enable more community groups to use the centre.

In May it was awarded a £56,100 grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund which, combined with other funding, will allow the Claymills Pumping Engines Trust (CPET) to draw up firm proposals for the £1.9 million visitor centre.

The development stage is expected to be completed towards the end of 2018 and organisers will then be ready to apply for a second-stage grant which, if successful, will enable CPET to build the new visitor centre. It is hoped the centre will be completed in 2020.

The history of the pumping station:

Efforts to restore the 1885 derelict Burton Pumping Station to an operational state began in 1993 as a community project led by The Claymills Pumping Engines Trust. By 2000 the site had one boiler, one beam engine and the workshop in operation.

When CPET started in 1993 just 12 steam engines remained but over the years engines have been returned, the restoration has continued and there are now three beam engines and a total of 29 steam engines, all original to the site, back in action.

The visitor centre will be able to cope with the growing numbers of tourists

Organisers say visitor numbers have increased to the point where the existing visitor facilities are bursting at the seams. Volunteer activity, which originally started on one day a fortnight, has also now increased to three days a week and the cramped facilities are proving inadequate.

The museum is regarded as a site of national significance as it is the UK's second largest of its kind and the most complete restored Victorian steam pumping station in Britain.