BUS STATION

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A gang of men used a crane to hoist a caravan on to the roof of the bus station in support of campaigners who are opposing the Riverlights development and destruction of the art deco bus station. One of the protesters, Dorothy Skrytek, moved onto the roof last October to protest against the Riverlights development and until then only had a tent for shelter. The men drove the lorry through a gap in a security fence and installed the caravan, complete with number plate "BU5 5TOP".

It is perched on a wide concrete ledge held up by brick pillars. "It was a whirlwind operation," Miss Skrytek said. "They had to get in and hoist the caravan up before we were spotted on the CCTV cameras and security were called. They were in and out in seven minutes flat. Even if someone had seen what was going on they would not have had time to do anything about it. I moved in and the first night was absolute luxury." Derby City Council leader Councillor Chris Williamson said, "I'll be heading down there myself to have a look. I'll ask our health and safety officers to go down as well. I'm sure it will be a health and safety issue." (Source: Daily Telegraph, Jan/06)

The bus station has finally been demolished, but work on the new development will not begin for another year. David Osborne, of Derby Riverlights Ltd, has revealed that surrounding roadworks are top priorities, now the demolition is over. He is negotiating with the city council over the precise details of the layout alterations around the Cockpit Island, which are necessary for the development. Until these works are well under way, it will not be possible to start work on the new bus station because a stretch of the Cockpit Island road will be part of the new development.

The changes will mean the road ceases to be a roundabout. Instead there will be two-way traffic on separate carriageways to the east of the Cockpit. Project manager John Ramsay said, "It's very complicated, but we basically need to iron out the details of how the road changes will take shape. I think the middle of next year is a realistic target for us to begin work on site." Mr Osborne said, "We're very pleased with how things have gone so far. The demolition process went to plan, so now we've turned our attention to the next stage. It's full steam ahead." Well, not for 12 months it isn't. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Jul/06)

The new bus station will not open until autumn next year. It was due to open in January next year but Derby Riverlights Limited, the company behind the project, said design changes had forced back the opening date. Director David Osborne, said the changes were implemented after consultation with bus companies and the city council. It means passengers will now board buses directly from an indoor terminal instead of having to walk outside. Work is now due to start on the bus station in May and the delay to the bus station means the whole Riverlights complex is not due to be completed until early 2010.

Mr Osborne said, "Once we got involved in the project, it was quite clear after discussions with bus operators that they thought there could be some improvements made. Ultimately, we came to a revised scheme which satisfied the parties concerned." Council leader Chris Williamson said, "There have been a few changes that have resulted in some delays that we would have preferred to avoid but in the end we will end up with a better product so these few additional months will be worthwhile in the end." (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Mar/08)

The city council installed 28 bus shelters in Full Street, Corporation Street and Morledge as a temporary replacement for the bus station that closed in October 2005. Passengers have complained about a lack of seats and protection from the wind and rain, prompting the council to promise that 10 more shelters will be installed at cost of £108,000.

Councillor Chris Wynn, cabinet member for planning and transportation, said, "When the temporary bus station was planned, it wasn't expected to be in operation for such a long period. I've been listening to the quite legitimate concerns of people and can only apologise for the inconvenience so far. These new shelters will improve things for people waiting for buses and we can all look forward to Riverlights delivering and improving things to give this city an excellent bus station." The shelters will be added to existing shelters rather than forming new stops. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Dec/06)