Multi-million-pound transport hub approved

Herefordshire Council’s project manager Laurence Butterworth batted away safety concerns and explained the chosen layout placed "highway safety at its forefront"

Plans for a new £10m transport hub at Hereford railway station have been approved, despite opposition to proposed designs.

Speaking at the Herefordshire Council planning meeting, several councillors voiced concerns over the project.

Councillor Karen Davis labelled the proposal as "inadequate" while councillor Richard Thomas felt the overall design was "poor".

In response Councillor Brice Baker said he was "a bit angry with some of the comments" and pointed out the plans had been put together by civil engineering experts.

Ms Davis explained to the committee that she wanted the plan refused because four bus bays seemed "inadequate”, given the planned future closure of the nearby county bus station.

She added that there appeared to be no provision within the hub itself for the city’s free Zipper electric bus service.

Her concerns were followed up by councillor Polly Andrews, who said the proposed scheme "misses a once-only opportunity to develop a proper full-scale transport hub for the city".

Councillor Richard Thomas said the "drive-in, reverse-out" format for the bus parking was "a no-no for safety", and called for the approval decision to be deferred.

Herefordshire Council’s project manager Laurence Butterworth explained the chosen layout placed "highway safety at its forefront" while accommodating up to 50 buses an hour.

And Mr Baker responded to the concerns, saying: "Everyone is an expert but [civil engineering firm] Arup have designed many similar major developments.

"Surely we should accept what they say? We have to bite the bullet on this."

Approval for the scheme was eventually carried by a majority of the committee.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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