Campaigners urge council to commit to keeping Shrewsbury bus station

The redevelopment of the Riverside area of the town, which was last month awarded £18.7 million in Government ‘Levelling Up’ funding, will see the existing bus station demolished along with the Riverside Shopping Centre and multi-storey car park.

The proposals have sparked concern among bus users, despite assurances from the council that a bus facility of some form will be included in the regeneration, a key element of the Big Town Plan.

One option being touted, which would see the station replaced with a series of bus stops near the railway station, has been criticised by campaign group Bus Users Shropshire which said it would put people off from using bus services – “the exact opposite of what we need to do”.

The council is now being asked to ensure this plan does not become a reality, by pledging to retain a purpose-built bus station.

In a motion to be put to the full council next week, Green group leader Julian Dean says: “Preferential access to the town centre for bus services is key to attracting people out of cars into the most space-efficient mode of transport, the urban bus.

“A well designed and conveniently located transport hub is a pre-requisite for an effective bus network, serving the needs of both passengers and drivers.

“The current bus station site, which is in the public realm and has easy access to the train station and the Darwin Shopping Centre, remains the ideal location.

“Alternatives discussed so far, such as suggestions for a range of bus stops around the railway station instead of a bus station, would be a poor substitute for a modern bus interchange station and would fail to signal our commitment to excellent public transport for the future.

“The redevelopment of the Riverside area provides an opportunity to install a new and attractive bus interchange and transport hub on this location, integrated with other developments.

“We note that other towns of similar size to Shrewsbury have installed new bus station interchanges in recent years.”

The motion asks the council: “To commit to ensuring that the county town of Shrewsbury retains a proper bus station by requiring that the masterplan brief for the Riverside redevelopment includes the requirement for an attractive bus station with excellent links to rail and town centre, making best use of the current location.”

The motion, which is supported by the Green group, will be debated at a meeting next Thursday.