Bath bus station
Bath bus station | |
|---|---|
 The bus station in 2010 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Dorchester Street,Bath, Somerset Bath and North East Somerset |
| Coordinates | 51°22′40″N2°21′33″W/ 51.3779°N 2.3591°W |
| Operated by | First West of England |
| Bus routes | 1Bus Station to Southdown 4Upper Weston to Odd Down |
| Bus stands | 16 |
| Bus operators | First West of England National Express Stagecoach West CT Coaches Faresaver |
| Connections | Bath Spa railway station(100 metres) |
| History | |
| Opened | 7 June 2009 |
Bath bus stationserves as part of an integrated transport interchange for the city ofBath, Somerset,England.
TheManvers Streetbus stationopened in 1958 and operated until 2009, when it was replaced by a new bus station, in Dorchester Street, as part of theSouthgate regeneration programme.
The bus station is managed byFirst West of England.[1]There are 16 bays. Bays 1 and 2 are forNational Expresscoach services; bays 3 to 16 are for local bus services.
History
[edit]
The old Bath Bus Station, onManvers Street,opened in 1958 under the control of theBristol Omnibus Company.[2]TheSouthgatearea of the city, between Manvers Street to the east and St James' Parade to the west, was the area worst affected by theBaedeker Blitzof April 1942.[3]The bus station was built as part of a project to replace this area of the city, where the city's main railway station, connecting Bath withBristolandLondonwas already situated. The bus station was located next to the city's red brickVictoriandairy,which showed lasting evidence of shell damage from the bombings. In this process, many of the city's older buildings and streets were destroyed to make way for not just the bus station, but also the Southgate Shopping Centre and accompanying Ham Gardens car park. The demolition of this maze of historical buildings was known as the Rape of Bath and was finally halted in the early 1960s due to public outcry.[4][5]The city has since been designated aWorld Heritage Siteand 95% of the buildings in the centre are protected bylisted buildingstatus. The new development was seen as being a threat to the city's World Heritage Status.[6][7][8]
The bus station operated a range of services during its 49-year history – including local city buses, country buses,National Expresscoach services andopen-top bustours. It has seen theLabournationalisationand theConservativeprivatisationof public transport, and the morphing of Bristol Omnibus intoBadgerline,which was acquired byFirstGroupand rebranded asFirst Somerset & Avon.[9]
New bus station
[edit]
The Manvers Street Bus Station was scheduled to be demolished as part of the nextSouthgate regeneration programmefor nearly 20 years. During this time, the building was owned by the local council and leased to First. Neither party was prepared to improve or repair the fabric of the building, as it was expected to be demolished. However, the redevelopment was plagued with controversy and continual demands for reviews,[10]so the project did not get under way until early 2007, with the appointment of new contractors.[11]The bus station was finally demolished in July 2007.
Operations for First Somerset & Avon moved to a temporary site constructed on the Avon Street Car Park on 16 June 2007. This was provided by contractorsSir Robert McAlpineas part of a move to speed up completion of the entire Southgate project by one year.
A new location for the bus station was chosen on the site of Churchill House – an abandoned 1920s electricity company building, the demolition of which sparked the most recent controversy to delay the whole project.[12]Campaigners fighting for the preservation of the building argued that the frontage from Churchill House should be retained and incorporated into the design of the new bus station, but thearchitectsmaintained that this was not practical. Revised plans for a glass and metalrotunda– nicknamed derisively by local people as the "Busometer"[13]– on the site close toBath Spa railway stationand on the edge of theRiver Avonwere given council approval in early 2007 and work begun to construct this part of the transport interchange for the city.
The new Bath Bus Station opened on 7 June 2009, at a cost of £14 million,[14]as part of the £360 millionSouthGatedevelopment.[15]
References
[edit]- ^"Conditions of Use Relating to Bath Bus Station (the" Bus Station ")"(PDF).Retrieved8 February2024.
- ^Curtis, C and Walker, M (2007)Bristol Omnibus Services: The Green YearsMillstream BooksISBN978-0-948975-80-6
- ^"History – Bath at War".Royal Crescent Society, Bath.Archived fromthe originalon 19 May 2007.Retrieved9 December2007.
- ^Borsay, Peter (2000).The Image of Georgian Bath, 1700-2000: Towns, Heritage, and History.Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-820265-2.
- ^"BATH HERITAGE WATCHDOG".Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2008.Retrieved1 November2008.
- ^Glancey, Jonathan (6 April 2009)."Will Bath lose its World Heritage status?".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 9 April 2009.Retrieved6 April2009.
- ^"Bath keeps world heritage status".BBC News. 25 June 2009.Retrieved13 September2009.
- ^"UNESCO demand for enhanced protection of Bath's surrounding landscape 'urgent and timely', says Bath Preservation Trust".Bath Preservation Trust.25 June 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 30 August 2009.Retrieved13 September2009.
- ^Competition Commission report 1989Archived19 May 2011 at theWayback Machinepara 4.4; Curtis & Walker, p. 222
- ^"The future for Bath".Bath Preservation Trust.Retrieved8 December2010.
- ^"New Look signs up for SouthGate".Bath Chronicle.Retrieved8 December2010.
- ^"Bus station critic may have to open it".Bath Chronicle.Retrieved8 December2010.
- ^"Busometer".This is Bath.Retrieved8 December2010.
- ^"Final preparations underway for the opening of Bath Bus Station".First.Retrieved8 December2010.
- ^"Bath City Centre Bus Stop Map".Bath and North East Somerset Council. Archived fromthe originalon 17 November 2010.Retrieved8 December2010.