Telford Bus Station redevelopment plans to go on show

Plans for the redevelopment of Telford’s Bus Station are to go on show at the start of next month, with a three-day public exhibition taking place in Telford Shopping Centre as part of a wider public consultation.

Members of the public are being invited to view the plans for a new, modern bus station and new shops on the site of the existing bus station on Telford’s Northfield Street.

The plans are being put forward by the owners of the shopping centre and have been developed in close partnership with Telford & Wrekin Council and bus operator Arriva Midlands & Shires.

The delivery of the proposals has been made possible by a £1.3m contribution to the total costs that Telford & Wrekin Council has secured from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership. The funding from the LEP is to support the redevelopment of the existing bus station in order to provide new, safe, attractive facilities for bus users and Arriva Midlands & Shires which encourage public transport use.

At the same time, the redevelopment plans will allow new stores to be built. These will meet retailer demand for larger units in the shopping centre.

The latest plans respond to public feedback received from previous consultations, including an overwhelming preference for any new bus station to be in the same location as the existing one together with the need for weather protection.

The bus station redevelopment is part of the multi-million pound masterplan that is transforming Telford Town Centre with new shops, cafés and restaurants.

Construction of the first part of the masterplan – the Southern Quarter – started earlier this year. TGI Friday’s, Prezzo and Handmade Burger Company have already signed up to open restaurants here when it opens in Spring 2017. The first phase of enabling works for the Northern Quarter, on the site of the former ASDA store, is also underway.

Guy Beaumont, Senior Development and Asset Manager at Sovereign Centros, which is leading the redevelopment, urged members of the public to visit the exhibition and provide feedback on the latest plans:

“These latest plans offer an important opportunity to redevelop Telford’s ageing bus station, transforming the customer environment and creating space for new stores.

“Feedback from the public and stakeholders has been extremely important in shaping our plans to date and we are keen to understand the views of the local community as we refine our proposals prior to planning submission.’

Councillor Angela McClements, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for Transport, said: “We have been working very closely with both Arriva Midlands & Shires and Sovereign Centros to get to the point where we can put the plans for the bus station and associated retail development before the public.

“This represents further exciting development for Telford Town Centre and builds further on our £250m Southwater development that has proved so popular with the public.

“I would encourage residents to attend the exhibition to see the plans and give us their feedback.”

EXHIBITION DETAILS
The public exhibition will be held in unit 222, on Telford Shopping Centre’s Wrekin Square at the following times:

Thursday 3 March: 12 – 8pm
Friday 4 March: 8am – 17.30pm
Saturday 5 March: 10am – 4pm