Green light tipped for £13.5m bus station redevelopment

Proposals for the £13.5m redevelopment of St Margaret’s Bus Station in Leicester have been recommended for approval.Leicester City Council is planning to rebuild the bus station and revamp surrounding streets as part of a scheme to regenerate that part of the city centre.The St Margaret’s Bus Station building closed to the public from 7pm on Thursday 31 December, so work to prepare it for demolition can begin.Demolition work will be carried out on behalf of the city council by DSM Demolition – the same company that carried the demolition of New Walk Centre.Work is expected to take about four months, with construction on the new building due to begin by late spring 2021 if the go-ahead is given by the council’s planning committee at a virtual meeting on Wednesday 6 January.The bus station redevelopment is part of the St Margaret’s Gateway regeneration project.This is supported by a £10.5m allocation from the Getting Building Fund, a pot of government funding awarded to the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership Limited (LLEP) for shovel-ready infrastructure projects to create jobs and support economic recovery across the country.A council document published ahead of the meeting said: “The proposal will provide a much improved public transport facility for the residents of Leicester and also for those visiting the city.”The design of the new bus station will provide an improved view along Burleys Way and this section of the inner ring road.”