'Post-apocalypse' coach station to get overhaul

The old station's revamp will begin in February or March

A run-down coach station which has been likened to a "post-apocalyptic" scene by a councillor is to be given an overhaul.

Lymington Road coach station in Torquay, Devon, will be knocked down and replaced with five business units, three coach parking bays and a waiting area.

The station was widely seen as an eyesore and a focus of anti-social behaviour, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Torbay Council's planning committee unanimously approved the plans by Torbay Development Agency - the council’s economic development company.

The redesign, which is part of a bid to improve the experience for travellers, will include new coach shelters, a new information board and improved CCTV and lighting. 

Torbay Council agreed in December 2020 to put £850,000 into the coach station but due to a sharp rise in construction costs since then, it will borrow £1.36m from its own growth fund while another £2m will come from Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership.

'Facilities are woeful'

Speaking to Torbay Council’s cabinet in November, Independent Group councillor Darren Cowell, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for finance, said the current coach station was “not a welcoming sight for visitors coming to Torquay".

“The facilities there are woeful and it has been a source of frustration for the local community for many years.”

Liberal Democrats councillor Cordelia Law said: “Our coach station was once a real thriving, vibrant place to arrive and now it’s like arriving post-apocalypse. This is so needed.”

Building work at the station is expected to start by March.