£83M GATEWAY TO CITY CENTRE

Six years after the scheme to replace Derby Bus Station was announced, developers have unveiled a new £83m site plan. Nottingham-based firm MetroHolst will submit new planning applications for the project, which would see the demolition of the 1930s Morledge bus station. As well as plans for an airport-style bus station with shops geared towards passengers, the revised scheme includes 150 flats, a riverside leisure complex, including bars, restaurants, nightclubs and casino, and a seven-storey office block.

The scheme is likely to create 500 temporary jobs during the two years it will take to complete the four buildings.A further 600 jobs would be provided by the leisure and retail units, and the office block would accommodate up to 900 workers. The Riverlights project has been plagued by delays and changes since its inception in 1996. It was originally conceived as a shopping centre and bus station, but developers found there was no demand for more shops in the area.

The site was then to centre on a multiplex cinema and hotel, but this idea was scrapped after the UCI cinema chain pulled out. Opposition members at Derby City Council were so concerned that MetroHolst had still not submitted detailed plans that they called for an urgent cross-party meeting with the developers. The council's cabinet member for planning and prosperity, Councillor Sara Bolton, also aired her frustration at MetroHolst more than once.

But, following three rounds of meetings with MetroHolst, Labour and opposition councillors are now confident that the firm is serious about taking the scheme forward. Councillors are expected to revise an agreement between the council and MetroHolst, signed in May 2001, and set new deadlines. The council's director of development and cultural services, Jonathan Guest, stressed the scheme had not yet been given the go-ahead.

"All we're doing at this stage is giving the developers the confidence they need to carry on developing the idea," he explained. But Pat Woolley of Maple Avenue, Littleover, a member of the bus station action group, which has campaigned against Riverlights, said, "It's absolutely diabolical that they're even considering demolishing the bus station. It's been around for 70 years and was built to last, but the city council has neglected it over the years. It's a crying shame."