Cycle Warehouse for Paddington?

A revolutionary 'cycle warehouse' for up to 1,000 bikes could be installed at Paddington station.

If the £750,000 scheme goes ahead it will become Britain's biggest station cycle park, more than double the size of the facility that opened recently near London Bridge.

The concept has been developed by Dutch operator NedRailways, which is building a similar park for up to 500 bikes at Leeds and has 40 in Holland.

The striking glass structure is provisionally known as Cyclepoint — a translation of the Dutch name Fietspoint.

It would be manned until late into the evening and would include a cycle hire, sale and repair shop. A spokesman for NedRailways said it would be secure, accessible only with a swipe card, and would cost about 75p a day with discounts for season ticket holders.

But already Network Rail has ruled out introducing the scheme imminently because of building work at the station.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "It's Brunel's landmark station and 150 years old, so any designs have to be given the go-ahead by English Heritage.

"The other factor is we're doing some repairs on the roof at Paddington and it will probably be next summer before it's finished, so realistically we're not going to begin any works before then because it will be in the same part of the station."