Exeter Bus Station demolition set to advance

Plans to demolish the former Exeter Bus Station could take a step forward next week.The city’s new transport hub has now been operational “for some time”, with bus and coach operations having fully relocated.The opportunity has therefore arisen to bring forward demolition of the redundant facility, therefore allowing the City Council to have a cleared site on which to introduce a range of “meanwhile” uses to animate the area adjoining the new St Sidwell Point leisure centre.Such a venture would also mark the removal of a “significant constraint to the future redevelopment of the wider CityPoint site”.Exeter City Council’s Executive is now being asked to recommended a provision of £900,000 to fund the demolition.A report drawn up ahead of the meeting on 5 July said: “A number of schemes for the interim use of the building and the surrounding areas have been considered but not substantively advanced.”It is felt that it will be easier to deliver positive interim uses of the land once the existing building have been removed.”This course of action will also remove a significant constraint on future redevelopment of the wider CityPoint site and should accelerate delivery of the Liveable Exeter aspirations for the site.”