Coach Station one step nearer
Plans for a brand new coach station in the heart of Plymouth city centre have now been formally submitted to planners.
New and updated images are now available showing the latest detail for the £4.17 million project new destination for long distance coaches and a surface-level car park on the former Mayflower West car park site in the city’s West End
Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “This is a significant stage for the project to create a much better welcome for visitors and travellers coming by coach to the city.
“Not only are we providing up to date facilities for today’s travellers, the new location will also significantly increase the number of people coming in and out of the West End, which can only be good for local businesses.”
The new coach station will have seven coach stands that will serve National Express and Megabus. The coach waiting area will be constructed to a very high standard with granite paving and a canopy roof structure. Other features include:
• Real time passenger information systems
• Blue badge holder drop off bay
• Customer help points
• Ticket machines
• Toilets
• Luggage lockers
• Seating area
• Cycle stands
• Soft landscaping
• CCTV
• Ornamental lighting
An indoor ticket office and waiting room will be provided in the former Lloyds Bank building, with toilets, comfy seating, ‘real time’ information screens, ticket office and a food, drink and newsagent concession.
The car park will have around 100 spaces, including dedicated blue badge holder bays, drop off and pick up taxi/private hire bays and coach passenger drop off bays. As with the coach station, the car park will have lighting and CCTV systems to make it safe and secure for users.
New landscaping and trees will surround the site and a sustainable drainage system included to reduce surface water. This will be linked to an irrigation system for the new trees.
New signs for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists will be part of the scheme to make sure that people can find their way around and to the new facility. Access to the new facility will be improved with enhancements to the entrances from Market Way, Cornwall Street and Mayflower Way.
Other features include underground refuse stores for premises around the site perimeter to remove the need for unsightly refuse bins and a new fire escape at the back of Mayflower Way shops to replace the one that was removed when the old car park was demolished.
The final design took into account comments from traders as well as members of he public following a consultation in September.
The new coach hub will replace the tired out-dated coach station at Bretonside, which is being redeveloped as part of a major investment package proposed by British Land, the owner of Drake Circus and the UK’s largest listed retail landlord.
The proposed Drake Circus Leisure development includes an 11-screen cinema complex, 13 restaurants and parking for over 400 cars, as well as extensive improvements to public areas with features, seating and planting. The scheme would transform the link from the city centre to the Barbican and the Waterfront, making it more attractive and easier for visitors and shoppers to move from one to the other.
Derriford Major Works
From planned development to a scheme which is about to start, the Derriford Marjon link scheme now enters the construction phase with the new traffic management scheme around the Derriford Hospital which hopefully will ease at least some of the pain.
There will be a significant amount of disruption to Marjons Link Road and Derriford Road. Please be aware that from 8am Wednesday 14th January the following measures will come into effect.
- Traffic entering the Hospital will still be able to travel along Derriford Road and turn right to access the Hospital opposite Marjon Link Road
- Traffic leaving the Hospital will not be able to exit onto Derriford Road opposite Marjon Link Road but will have to do so by travelling in front of the main entrance and using the mini-roundabout onto Derriford Road
- The current Bus Only lane which leaves the Hospital and travels to Derriford Roundabout will be suspended to allow any vehicle to use the Bus Lane to exit the site
This should help a bit bit expect a certain amount of chaos to begin with at least until drivers get used to it. It has worked fairly well before but buses will be slowed down as they no longer have full use of the bus lane out onto Derriford Roundabout. Could be fun…
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