Leicester's St Margaret's bus station opens to public

The frame of the former 1980s building was largely reused

A new £14.3m bus station is due to open to passengers in Leicester.

Work on St Margaret's bus station, in Gravel Street, has been ongoing for 18 months.

Leicester City Council said it had reused the frame of the former 1980s building, which was largely demolished, with the aim of being environmentally friendly.

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

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

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.

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.

The council says the interiors are more spacious, displaying real-time travel information

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."