Council to buy Winchester station

Winchester City Council has agreed to buy the freehold of the bus station site in central Winchester from Stagecoach. The £4m purchase is due to be completed by the end of April 2017. According to the Council, the investment is intended to ensure the future of bus operations in the city centre and is expected to generate income through agreements with bus companies for continued use of the station. The local authority plans to make improvements to the site in the short term and to propose changes that will improve the flow of buses through the town and increase pedestrian safety. In the longer term, it is believed the purchase will bring new opportunities and have significant benefits for the regeneration of central Winchester and the continuing provision of bus services.

Initial changes to improve the routing of buses will be on an interim basis and will not constrain further consideration of bus provision and routes in the town centre as part of engagement work being undertaken by architects JTP, Hampshire County Council’s Transport Study or the Central Winchester Regeneration Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).