Bus stations to close

3:53pm Friday 16th November 2012 in News By Corey Ross

WILTS & Dorset bus company has confirmed that Salisbury and Amesbury bus stations are to be sold.

Operations director Ed Wills said the closures will have no impact on bus services and jobs as the buses will use existing stops in the city centre and more modern offices will be found for the Salisbury bus station team. The fleet of 100 single and double-decker buses will continue to be parked and maintained at the depot at Castle Street.

He said: “Neither bus station is essential to our services, but as they age they are costing more to maintain and operate from each year. We believe this cost can be better used to provide bus services and the land could be put to much better use for the community and the local economy.”

Mr Wills also said the high frequency Salisbury Reds services don’t use the bus station and less than 12 per cent of overall passengers access the bus station.

“Salisbury bus station, constructed in the 1930s, is riddled with asbestos and no longer offers a pleasant working environment for the 160 employees.”

He said many major towns no longer have bus stations yet have thriving bus services and Wilts & Dorset doesn’t believe customers will be inconvenienced at all.

The company will be consulting further with local authorities and, if purchases are agreed, they expect to vacate both stations by next summer.

Comments(9)

markwillt says...
10:53pm Fri 16 Nov 12

I suppose they will want to build more flats there as well

Report this post »

JCNaish says...
7:23pm Mon 19 Nov 12

They plan to have buses stop in Blue Boar Row instead...we already have ones that stop there and it is jam-packed a lot of the time. I can only imagine that there will not be enough space with services such as the X3 and Active 8 waiting there as well as increased number of buses just dropping off passengers there.

Report this post »

Rabidmonkey says...
7:33pm Mon 19 Nov 12

This is another wiltshire Council ploy to strangle the city of its life blood to make up for the failed Park and Ride! which is costing us how much?

Report this post »

markwillt says...
10:32pm Mon 19 Nov 12

umm where are they gonna stop in Amesbury

Report this post »

Sustainer says...
9:32am Tue 20 Nov 12

Rabidmonkey says "This is another wiltshire Council ploy to strangle the city of its life blood to make up for the failed Park and Ride! which is costing us how much?”
Have you read the article? Wilts and Dorset bus Company owns the sites not the Council so how can this be a council plot??

Report this post »

karlmarx says...
7:36pm Tue 20 Nov 12

"the land could be put to much better use for the community and the local economy.”


Mmmmm, my money goes on property speculators building unaffordable 'affordable housing'. Wilts and Dorset shareholders? Crack open the bubbly!
No doubt the bus station has to go but it will leave a hole in the community and, clog up the horse and cart roads of Salisbury.

Report this post »

bmthbusman says...
5:54am Wed 21 Nov 12

Its just the Go-Ahead group assett stripping before selling off the unprofitable parts of the business, look at the past few years - Pewsey bus depot in River Street closed land sold for redevelopment & buses relocated to a small unit on industrial estate. Romsey depot closed and now all run from Salisbury. In a few years time all that will be left in Salisbury is Stagecoach & Hatts as soon they will realise the Castle street garage is a prime development site!

Report this post »

rantone says...
7:18pm Wed 21 Nov 12

This site now joins the Market Square project and soon the Maltings where no real consensus comes about locally. All great areas of open spaces and should be looked as one regards a new traffic plan/ pedestrianisation with access to all three. Perhaps the Park and Ride buses could enter the new Maltings site when complete via Summerlock/ Fisherton Street and exit via Mill steam Approach. Also I do see many cars now using the Avon Approach / Castle Street entrance to the car park. Will this stay open when the surgery is finished, seems very useful. Where all the buses presently based at the bus station will pick up needs to be quickly assessed. Planning for new layby positions can be complex. Ideas for the development of the bus station will be many, just hope with reference to the Civic Society meeting / talk on Wednesday evening, and that what is built will LAST, perhaps for 100 years! Much to ponder and be consulted on - in the future. For 'bmthbusman', the Vision Board / Gateway project did at one time have the Castle Street bus depot earmarked for a new college campus. This has fallen away, but I do respect your concerns, and who can now be really sure.

Report this post »

IanMcL says...
12:39pm Fri 23 Nov 12

Perhaps the council should take a view on additional buses piling up in the historic centre point of Salisbury.

A Market Place that looks like a bus station is hardly what any 'Vision' would conjure up.

Tell W&D to take a hike, until a proper long term solution is reached....just like when they closed their toilets, without telling anyone!

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree