Northampton Greyfriars bus station demolition to start in March

Greyfriars bus station opened in 1976 and its roof garden was an architectural feature

Demolition of the town centre bus station in Northampton will begin on 31 March next year after a new interchange opens at North Gate.

Fixtures and fittings have already been stripped from the former office complex at the Greyfriars bus station and the overgrown roof garden cut down.

The borough council said the demolition would open up an important town centre site for redevelopment.

The demolition will take up to 18 months to complete.

David Mackintosh, leader of Northampton Borough Council, said: "Greyfriars is beyond repair and demolishing it allows for the kind of regeneration we are seeing elsewhere in the town."

Legal & General has already announced a £3m refurbishment of the nearby Grosvenor Shopping Centre.

Detailed proposals are due to be submitted for planning permission for a project due to be completed in September 2014.

An extension of the shopping centre, which is close to the bus station site, has been discussed but no firm plans have been laid down.