Councillor slams Newport bus station scheme (From South Wales Argus)
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Councillor slams Newport bus station scheme
1:10pm Monday 17th September 2012 in News
PLANS for a new bus station near Newport Market came in for criticism from a Labour councillor at a planning meeting.
Paul Hannon, councillor for Beechwood, said the ideal location for a new bus station will be at Newport railway station.
Newport council is planning to build a new nine stand terminal to support a 15 stand bus station in the Frairs Walk development, which replaces the much larger current facility with 26 stops.
Speaking at a Newport planning committee meeting looking into the plans, Councillor Hannon said most successful town centre developments start off with how people get in, and said he didn’t have enough information to know if it was an improvement, suggesting that it would result in the loss of five bus stands.
“The ideal bus station will be one at the railway station,” he said.
However councillor Jane Mudd, of Malpas, called for the development not to be delayed.
In the end councillors voted with officer recommendations for the plans to be decided on by an officer, subject to an archeological report.
Comments(8)
Owain Vaughan
says...
6:05pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Welshman76
says...
8:04pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Limestonecowboy
says...
8:57pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Paul Hannon is right the bas station should be next the the railway station.
Unfortunately there was a chance overlooked; demolition of the then empty building opposite the Kings Hotel so a bus plaza could be set up. The existing bus staion would of then been the NCP not where the monstrousity is now shadowing the arcitecture of the Kings & adjacent buildings.
Visitors would then filter from the top of town through High Street, Market etc.,
Anyway I'm no town Planner but just a thought.
chris227
says...
9:55pm Mon 17 Sep 12
PontyPeter
says...
9:59pm Mon 17 Sep 12
The logical place for a bus station is next to the railway station. People do not want to walk with luggage etc and try to find a bus. They need a seamless interchange.
pwharley
says...
10:07pm Mon 17 Sep 12
There's room outside the railway station for a reasonably sized bus station (where the taxi area is at present). The taxis could relocate to the short term car park, which in turn could become part of the long term car park.
Interchange between bus and rail worsened when the new station entrance opened. A bus station alongside the railway station would overcome this.
Mervyn James
says...
8:59am Tue 18 Sep 12
Owain Vaughan wrote:Those of us with even longer memories Owain recall when most buses stopped alongside the old railway station. They did this before the Market too. We need to join the 21stc basically.
This is the general view amongst moaners. You seem to be forgetting that bus stands used to be situated outside the market before the current bus station was built as part of the John Frost Square/Capitol Car Park scheme.
At present Newport needs to address the issue of wholesale shop closures, or there will be no point in a bus station, there will be nowhere for shoppers to go. Cardiff and Cwmbran have shown Newport the way to go.
Mervyn James says...
4:16pm Mon 17 Sep 12