Cllr Bialyk discusses plan for the redevelopment of Exeter bus station

Published: 15 September 2016

An Exeter community group has discussed plans for the redevelopment of the city’s bus station site with a leading councillor.

Cllr Phil Bialyk, who is overseeing Exeter City Council’s plans to create a state-of-the-art new leisure complex and new bus station, addressed a meeting of Devon Senior Voice in Whipton.

Members of the Project Design Team also attended the event to discuss details of the plans with members.

Cllr Bialyk told the meeting about the council’s plans to build a new bus station and St Sidwell’s Point leisure complex. Work is due to begin next year.

He also highlighted plans by Crown Estate to create Princesshay Leisure, and extension of Princesshay with new shops, cafes, restaurants, a cinema and public open space at the site.

During a lively meeting a number of issues were discussed, including toilet provision at the new bus station, as well as its size, facilities and accessibility.

Cllr Bialyk, Exeter’s lead councillor for Sport and Health and Wellbeing, said the toilet provision would be much better than at similar stations around the country.

He said the site would be fully accessible and would be a major improvement of the city’s current bus station, which is tired and dated, and lacking in accessibility.

He said although the new station would be smaller than the existing one, it will utilise the same number of bays that are currently being used by Stagecoach.

Coaches will pick up and drop off passengers nearby, and facilities will be included for those passengers. The details of that arrangement are still to be agreed.

Cllr Bialyk said temporary arrangements for bus users, including covered stands, would be place before the end of March 2017, when the current bus station is set to close.

The temporary arrangements will then remain in place until the new bus station opens in the winter of 2018.

Devon Senior Voice’s local chairman Norman Shiel thanked Cllr Bialyk and his team for attending, and he praised the work being done to redevelop a key part of the city centre.