Bus station overhaul plans finally in motion
After more than a decade of waiting, plans to revamp an “unwelcoming” bus station in Maidstone have been approved by councillors.
The interchange, which runs underneath The Mall and alongside Sainsbury’s, has been earmarked for an overhaul for at least 13 years. Now councillors have voted to start a public consultation on brightening up the area with a £1.1m facelift.
Setting out the plans, Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) officers described the 1970s bus station as “unwelcoming”, “threatening in character” and “not fit for purpose,” and expressed concerns it could put people off using public transport.
The prospect of a redesign was first expressed as an aspiration of MBC back in 2007, when a new transport hub linking King Street and Romney Place was proposed. In 2014, there was hope refurbishments would come as part a wider £100m scheme by the firm behind The Mall, Capital and Regional, which owns the bus station.
It suggested creating a new interchange at street level, roughly where Sainsbury’s is, forcing the supermarket to relocate. Despite proceeding with upgrades to the shopping centre, the bus station plan was abandoned as “unviable.” At a meeting of MBC’s economic regeneration and leisure committee on Tuesday, however, members were shown artists’ impressions of the latest plans. While the bus station would remain in its current location, off King Street, it would feature glass canopies and metal balustrades at stops, modern signs with real time passenger information and better lighting. It is also set to get a deep clean, new floor tiles and a colourful paint job.
A space would be designated for public art, which Cllr Paul Harper pushed to be commissioned from local talent.
Cllr John Foster, MBC’s head of regeneration and economic development, said the bus station was “unwelcoming” and “not a good look” for the County Town.
As it is a concrete tunnel, he said there was not a lot that could be done structurally, but these improvements would make the 1970s structure more user-friendly.
Through the new designs he hopes more people will be encouraged to use public transport.
The report said: “Without this investment the bus station will continue to deteriorate. Capital and Regional, the owners of the bus station, have no incentive to invest in it as it fails to produce a return on investment.”
Last year the shopping centre owners made £27.4m profit. The budget for the revamp was initially set at £1.5m but it now sits just shy of £1.1m. The majority is being paid for by MBC with £30,000 coming from each Kent County Council, bus operator Arriva and Capital and Regional. An eight-week public consultation on the plans will begin on Wednesday, with displays and a comment box to be set up in The Mall from August. Councillors will discuss the results in October.