Design drawings have been released depicting what Plymouth’s new coach station could look like, the Plymouth Herald reported.
Major plans are in place to replace the current Bretonside coach station with a new terminal situated in place of the Mayflower West multi-storey car park. Artist’s impressions show a sheltered seven-space coach station – two more spaces for intercity coaches than currently at Bretonside – with an indoor waiting area, a ticket office and a cafe.
A consultation was due to start on Tuesday, September 16, inviting feedback from the public on the plans.
The council has also confirmed that it has bought the adjacent Taylor Maxwell House, meaning there will be a direct thoroughfare leading passengers straight into Armada Way.
Councillor Mark Lowry said the coach station relocation would see 200,000 visitors a year arrive in the West End of the city centre.
“What we have now is not welcoming to our visitors,” he said.
“We need to provide them with modern coach facilities and this does exactly that.
“It will have real-time passenger information showing arrival and departure times, the coaches will be under canopies, and most importantly, it will be a safe environment indoors with CCTV and a help-point.
“We have had a number of criminal incidents at Bretonside in the past but the help point will be connected directly to the police station.”
Inner-city buses will not use the new coach hub, the council confirmed.
Cllr Mark Coker, responsible for transport, said he was in discussion with city bus operators who currently pick-up and drop-off at Bretonside about how they could change their services, which he said were at an early stage.
Cllr Coker said: “The city currently sees 25 arrivals and 32 coach departures a day.
“We will have two more bays at the new coach station and we have actively engaged with Megabus and National Express.
“At this stage we haven’t talked with them about additional services but, if there is the demand, then it allows us to cope with more coach arrivals.”
Next door to the coach station will be a 102-space car park.
