Leicester's new St Margaret's bus station due to open

The frame of the former 1980s building was largely reused

Leicester's new £14.3m bus station is set to open, following 18 months of work.

The city council said St Margaret's bus station, in Gravel Street, would open to passengers on 27 June.

The authority said the frame of the former 1980s building, which was largely demolished, was reused with the aim of being environmentally friendly.

The council said the bus station was an important step in their effort to make Leicester carbon neutral.

The council said the bus station was designed to help the city become carbon neutral

Deputy city mayor Adam Clarke said he believed the building was the first net zero carbon bus station building in the UK.

He said: "It shows our commitment to decarbonising our public buildings and will build on our work to promote sustainable transport and help improve services for bus passengers in and around the city."

The new building has a glazed concourse, designed to maximise natural light and reduce energy consumption, and solar panels, as well as electric bus charging points and secure storage for bikes.

Passengers will start using the bus station from Monday

The council said passengers would find a more spacious layout with better seating, a new café and toilets, as well as real-time digital passenger information.

There are also six more bays for bus services and a new site for coach operator National Express.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "The new St Margaret's bus station is an important project for Leicester and the completion of this fantastic new building marks the beginning of a revival of this part of the city.

"This new investment is providing a huge boost for public transport."