Inverness bus station relocation

[lachlan]

There are plans to rebuild Inverness bus station. When reading the headline I thought they may be rebuilding the railway station (appreciate that would be a huge job), but it appears to just be the bus station.

Inverness bus and train stations overhaul could trigger a wholesale city centre remodelling

Highland Council and Hitrans eye creation of a new ‘Station Quarter’.

www.inverness-courier.co.uk

Plans to overhaul Inverness bus and train stations could trigger a wholesale remodelling of a key part of the city centre, creating a new “Station Quarter”.

Plans to more closely integrate bus and rail transport services in the city centre have long been discussed, .

A next week offers the first chance to see what that remodelling could look like in reality.

Under the plans the A-listed Inverness Library would be retained and the current Farraline bus station converted into a public park.

Bus passengers would get a new dedicated terminal with easier access to the train station - but exactly where it would go is the biggest difference between the three preferred options.

The current Rose Street multi-storey car park – which has experienced structural issues – would be demolished and replaced with a new, purpose-built facility.

The former Post Office depot would be redeveloped, as would the TK Maxx building and going by the plans it looks like it would go altogether.


The first public engagement sessions could happen as early as the second half of next month if the Inverness committee agrees to progress the plans.

Proposals for the “Inverness Railway and Bus Station Masterplan” first formally emerged in .

Highland and Islands Regional Transport Partnership (Hitrans) commissioned the study into “a strategic multi-modal transport interchange within the ‘Station Quarter’”.


At this stage no costings for the proposals have been worked out.

While plans to this stage have been funded by Hitrans, Highland Council and the Scottish Government Bus Infrastructure Fund, the report to councillors states: “In moving forward and to realise the ambition of this proposals funds will need to be drawn from a variety of private/ public sources and the project delivered in a staged approach.”

A wide range of design options have been refined down to three, the chief differences between them centring on the exact location and size of a future bus station.

• Option I: 16 stances north/east of Library; multi-storey car park north of the station quarter

• Option J: 15 stances east of Library; multi-storey car park north of the station quarter

• Option L: 16 stances east of Library; multi-storey car park north of the station quarter

The council said that its “partners are now keen to engage more widely and share the findings of the feasibility work and present indicative options that establish a series of key design principles”.

Design principles are focused on:

• Seeking to relocate a new bus and coach station with sufficient capacity for current and projected demand and improved interchange with the rail station.

• Re-provide a circa 850 capacity multi-storey car park to the north of the study area.

• Establish a pedestrian-first zone around the ‘Station Quarter’ including a traffic free new civic square at Farraline Park.


• Promote a mixed-use city centre regeneration masterplan for the ‘Station Quarter’.

The next steps involve finalising and undertaking stakeholder and public engagement on the options and establishing existing partnerships.

The core partnership group includes the council, Hitrans and Network Rail/Scotland’s Railways but could be expanded to include MPs, MSPs and the business community.

It will also be necessary to undertake additional site constraints analysis and seek property market advice that will help inform indicative timing and how much it would all cost.

 

[H F Stephens]

Plans for the redevelopment of the station itself go back at least nine years; media reports at the time suggested a number of design options were to be explored.

Proposed pedestrianisation of Station Square was compromised by the owners of The Royal Highland Hotel blocking the removal of several parking spaces over which they hold a lease (and of which the General Manager apparently makes use).

Subsequently, the opportunity to purchase additional land and buildings (including the site from which TK Maxx currently trades) presented itself to Network Rail, which significantly altered the overall scale of the potential redevelopment.

It seems that, slowly, the implications of that altered scale and scope have been digested, leading to this week’s announcements.

For an example of earlier media reports, see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-39221575

Design team for Inverness Station revamp​

• • Published
    10 March 2017

IMAGE SOURCE, SCOTRAIL ALLIANCE
Image caption,
The station is to have a more 'dominant frontage'
ScotRail Alliance has appointed a design team to work on a new look for Inverness Station.
Mott Macdonald will produce detailed designs for a revamp of the station's frontage, forecourt and concourse.
About £6m is to be spent on the redevelopment which is scheduled to be completed in 2018.
The station was constructed and added to during the 1800s. The pitched iron and glass roof over the concourse was built in 1876.
ScotRail Alliance, which is working closely with Highland Council and public transport body Hitrans on the project, said tenders for the construction work would be sought in autumn this year.
"Enhanced shopping options" in the concourse, along with a more "dominant frontage" and improved links to Falcon Square and the bus station, sites which are close to the railway station, would also be part of the redevelopment.

'More attractive'​

ScotRail Alliance's project lead Peter O'Connell said: "We look forward to working with Mott Macdonald and to seeing the designs for the redevelopment. Inverness is ready for a railway station that matches the dynamic and forward-looking development of the cityscape.
"Close collaboration with Highland Council and Hitrans and working with our immediate neighbours at the station, will deliver the best possible improvements to facilities and services in and around Inverness station."
Inverness Provost Helen Carmichael said: "We warmly welcome the start of the design phase of the Inverness Rail Station Improvement project.
"This is the opportunity to transform the station and its surroundings so they are far safer and more accessible, as well as more attractive to commuters and tourists wishing to continue their journey, on foot or by bike, when they arrive in Inverness."