Town's 'transport hub' opens

Civic leaders have welcomed the opening of Wellington's new bus station – the first phase of a planned £9 million transformation of the town.

VIPs gathered in the town yesterday for the official opening of the station, which serves as an interchange for both buses and taxis. Councillor Barry Tillotson, Wellington mayor, and Councillor Karen Blundell, Telford & Wrekin mayor, teamed up to officially declare the station open.

The ceremony marked the completion of the first phase of work on a new £650,000 transport hub for the town.

Phase two of the ambitious project will see the old bus station around the corner bulldozed and a 60-space car park built on the site.

Councillor Tillotson said: "The old bus station was past its sell-by date and it was also dangerous because buses had to reverse out of the bays.

"What we have now is a 100 per cent improvement.

"Now the old station will be demolished and a car park built on site.

"A lot of credit has to go to Telford & Wrekin Council for the roll-out of its Borough Towns Initiative which is certainly helping to improve our community."

Telford & Wrekin Council planners believe the new bus and taxi interchange will improve access to the town's train station, directly linking bus and train services for the first time.

The transport hub is the first of two major projects set to transform Wellington, the second being an £8.5 million plan to create a prestigious new civic quarter.

If the proposals are approved, a new register office is to be built, the library replaced by a state-of-the-art building and office accommodation provided for up to 160 people aimed at bringing more people into the heart of the town.

There are also plans for a new public square and the quality and size of the fitness suite at Wellington leisure centre are to be increased while the changing rooms will be refurbished.

Other improvements would include redevelopment of the old library site, the demolition of a disused public toilet and the former information centre and the re-routing of Larkin Way to create a link between the new civic area and Wellington town centre.

By Simon Hardy