After years of waiting, consultation, and empty promises, Stoke-on-Trent City Council finally agreed the company that will design the city’s new bus station.
Last night Stoke-on-Trent City Council unanimously agreed that Grimshaw Architects LLP, designers of the Eden Project in Cornwall and the International Terminal at London Waterloo station, will be the lead architectural company creating the full design for the city centre bus station.
With the designers being agreed, the next steps of the project was also revealed and work is targeted to start on site in just 9 months, on March 28 2011.
Council Leader Mohammed Pervez said, ‘I am excited and pleased with this significant step towards a new bus station. At long last the people of Stoke-on-Trent will know their new, state of the art, modern and fit for purpose bus station is within reach.
The bus station will be located at the heart of the East West Redevelopment which will bring a critical mass of investment into the city directly creating much needed new jobs.
I will personally be there on March 28 to see the work start on site. It is a project the council has been keen to progress. It has been a long time coming but we are definitely a significant step closer after tonight’s decision.’
Grimshaw Architects LLP will now complete the final design for the city centre bus station after producing a concept designs for stage two of the design competition. The final design for the bus station is expected in November before work begins in March next year.
Richard Blackwell, Associate for Grimshaw said, ‘We are delighted that our concept proposal secured the client’s support and look forward to developing and realising this exciting project. The competition brief clearly described the need for a new Bus Station but we soon recognised that the significance of the project extended beyond the immediate confines of the site.’
He continued, ‘We aim to deliver an elegant, simple building of enduring quality and are confident that the project will play a significant role in shaping the on-going redevelopment of Stoke-on-Trent.’
Duncan Mathieson, Managing Director of Realis Estates,the company behind the East West Centre, said, ‘We are excited to be working with one of the world’s top architectural practices on this important project. Yesterday’s decision demonstrates the significant progress that has been made since we gained planning consent last year and reiterates our desire to press ahead with a scheme that will enable Stoke-on-Trent to take its rightful place as one of the top 30 shopping destinations in the country.’
It’s the Space Station then, well there you go, please now get the hell on with it, all the very best.
If it’s the Space Station, look on the bright side – Hanley to Longton should take no time at all at warp factor 5!!!
Seriously though, just replace that embarrassing eyesore with something. I almost bow my head with shame when National Express coaches pass me.
Pointless.
The city is fine as it is apart from a lack of jobs, but in order to sort that out we’d have to abandon Blatcherism, which of course no government has dared to do since 1979 despite the evidence that it fails, most notably in the recession.
No one in this city is interested in mindless rubbish like that. People ride buses to get from A to B. If you want a good time, go to somewhere like the Coachmakers Arms… or is that not going to exist in our sanitised, soulless new world?
£360million The Sentinel is reporting for East-West
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/CITY-S-GOT-TICKET-RIDE/article-2342337-detail/article.html?cacheBust=4iNY4VwDHz3c&success=true#community
when only a month ago the council reported £275million
http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/content/cc/news_releases/2010-press-releases/2010-05-may/166-10.en
BTW when did Advantage west midlands confimr the council business case and agree the £11million?
Small point I agree in the PR of things I’m sure it will start on 28th March 2011, but how will people get to Hanley
Will the new Tesco car park be open?
Will any Park and Ride be open?
Or will bus companies be subsidized to provide more services.
Absolutely love this design, and can’t wait for it to go up. Also can’t wait for the old bus station to get pulled down. It is dirty, tired and out-of-date. Here’s hoping that more innovative developments spring up throughout the city in the coming years.
Cllr Dillon: hi welcome, can you give update on the funding situation
Cabinet this week but “StreetCar” on hold, scrapped Hanley to Bentilee link road after 35years, after new guidance from DfT
But PUSH on with University Boulevard, which also has no funding in place yet, the Regional Funding Allocation programme did identiff £4.15million, but all RFA are also in doubt in the new Guidance DfT, so why PUSH on with this particular scheme?
This city is NOT fine. Vast areas of it look like London recovering from WW2. Do you seriously think a cozy Victorian pub compensates for that?
Public transport may be trivial to some, but for those too old, sick, disabled or – dare I say it – poor to drive it is vital.
Another Mecca to consumerism is not needed here. A transport hub fit for the 21st century most definitely is!
Tony, all depends what route you take the no.26, the grand tour as it known will still take a eon even at warp factor 5.
It a bloody disgrace that the new bus station is still only ‘on paper’ after what is now two damed years of buggering about. We would have done better improveing and extending the old bugger, by knocking down the old multistorey car park, but that may have been to easy it work out for this lot, or it would have left less land sell of to gready developers to build even more shops we don’t realy need.
The whole bus station, transport plan won’t work in Stoke-on-Trent until they have:
A regular (every 10 minutes) link between the Railway station and the bus station, that is well signed and clean, maybe a special stop for it near the taxi rank or on the new and generally unused car park next to the canal.
A regular direct bus service from each town centre to the railway station and the new Hanley bus station that starts at 0600 (or earlier) to allow people to get to the station for the first train to Birmingham Bristol Crewe Derby London or Manchester.
Until the bus companies start looking at the train times and planning to get people to the station 10 minutes before the train arrives,then people won’t use public transport.
You are asking alot there Mike, it would mean the FirstBus back office useing there brains for once.
Wow a shiny new bus station. Has anyone stopped to think that a station doesn’t actually transport anyone anywhere? We’ll still has the usual crappy stinking buses, choking our streets and delivering a third world service, so why all the excitement?
I suppose one way to help regenerate the City would be to rebrand the City as a theme park. We could call it Stoke in the Blitz and offer 1940′s style living with tours of the all the bombsites on the charabang.
It would not work George, the blasted charabangs are to old, no-one would fall for it. I got on one the other day, I asked the driver you much hourse power the bus had, he said two, and you could give them a pat if you wanted.
By the way the met office has just put out a weather warning. Anyone thinking of going out tonight please take a Umbirala and wellys with them, a rather large shower of shit is expected from the South Africa area some time over night into the early hours of the morning.
[quote=Warren Lloyd]It would not work George, the blasted charabangs are to old, no-one would fall for it. I got on one the other day, I asked the driver you much hourse power the bus had, he said two, and you could give them a pat if you wanted.
By the way the met office has just put out a weather warning. Anyone thinking of going out tonight please take a Umbirala and wellys with them, a rather large shower of shit is expected from the South Africa area some time over night into the early hours of the morning.[/quote]
Warren people must be off their trolleys if they think sunday was a bad day… i mean just look how well England did this weekend, won the third test in a row in the cricket against Australia, 2nd in the Grand Prix and now leading the championship, the golf, the tennis, the international sailing regatta, oh our glorious England we are proud……
[quote=George K Harvey]Wow a shiny new bus station. Has anyone stopped to think that a station doesn’t actually transport anyone anywhere? We’ll still has the usual crappy stinking buses, choking our streets and delivering a third world service, so why all the excitement?
I suppose one way to help regenerate the City would be to rebrand the City as a theme park. We could call it Stoke in the Blitz and offer 1940′s style living with tours of the all the bombsites on the charabang.[/quote]
no you couldnt actually, you would be accused of going over the top with the dereliction and destruction by the germans if you did that George.
This is true, and 3rd place in the F1 as well don’t forget, thats WITH a drive though and added secounds to, we are fair basking in glory hear, my flags on the shed and I’m crowing like a cock.
Love your new avatar Warren. I’ve worked for The Maiden countless times and am on 1st name terms with Bruce… he’s a genuine bloke BTW.
Been a fan of the mighty Maiden since before the first album Tony, seen the lads many times, never met them. The new album, Final Frontier comes out in Aurgust, but there is a free download of as one of the track, El Dorado or there web site, it’s f*****g ace. Just thought I’d give the lads a push, not as if they need it.
Oh believe me bud, they won’t starve! If you’ve seen them live you will know… despite their detractors, they simply can’t be beat!
Oops! We’ve hijacked the thread!
You’re totally right, I bought their first album in 1980 and I’ve been a fan since. I love it heavy.
Have you got any of Bruce’s solo records? They don’t all sound that much like Maiden but they are all excellent fare.
I remember Bruce replaceing the first lead Singer, Paul De Anieo. Bruce had frounted a band called Samson, it had a masked drummer for some reason. Samson had backed up Maiden a view times and when Paul departed, everyone was saying ‘Go for that Bruce fella, he’s not bad, fit right in’ they did, knocked out Number of The Beast, and the rest is history.
Its not realy off subject to be honnest, in the early 80s, between the first album and 84s Powerslave, I was seen wandering out of the Victora Hall and into the old bus station, deafend and dazzed by the best stage shows I have ever wittnesed there. Then the bus station became the stating point of many a cotch ride to see them in bigger areas and festivals. Simply put, Iron Madien are the best stage act ever seen, I did not miss a tore from 1980 till 2007, even the ones with other lead singers. I only missed in 07 becouse what happened health wise to me, and I have not got to a consert of theres since. I hope they come round next year, by God, I’ll be at one of the shows, by hook or by crook.
Oh Mr Lloyd, you’re making me rheumy eyed! I cut my teeth at Vicky Hall. My first gig was Elvis – Costello that is in 1980. I was only 14 but it was nepotism, my two elder brothers ran the stage crew.
It used to be a must play venue but like most things it went into terminal decline once our beloved council took an unhealthy interest. Do you recall the Maiden gig when the roadie on stilts in the 8ft Eddie fell over? He couldn’t get back up and Bruce and Harry tried to help him but he had to be ungracefully dragged off stage by my muckers… pisser.
It puzzles me how Stoke, being halfway between Manchester and Brum can’t capitalise and become an obvious staging post for gigs. Obviously we would need at least a modest arena (6000 seater say)but surely that would be preferable to another bloody shopping mall, full of shite none of us can afford? And it would generate loads of money. Punters need to eat and drink… they need busing in too – Christ, we ARE on topic mate!
EEH I must have worked hundreds of gigs at “vicky” hall in the 80,s Warren, tales i could tell, of sex n drugs n rock n roll, well, the last 2 anyway, wasn’t much of the first,
Did a whole UK tour with Maiden once, Sheffield city hall, Manchester apollo, NEC, Vicky hall, St DAVIDS hall,(Cardiff) Monsters of rock donnington, if you remember the “heavy metal holocaust” at Port Vale in 1980 I worked on that as well,
But Victoria Hall was “home” WE were “the Vicky hall crew” I used to like being able to just nip across the road to get fags or a sarnie from the little cafe on HANLEY BUS STATION ( see what I did there)? I have quite a collection of photos from my “gig years” on my facebook page, several Iron Maiden ones some of their gigs and some “behind the scenes” ones of setting up the gig as well,
if you would like to see them let me know and I will send you an invite,
Just ONE (of many) “claims to fame” from my years “giging” IF you have seen Billy Connoly on TV on his “trike” ( 3 wheeled motorbike) I gave him the idea,
I owned one when he appeared at the VH, he came outside while we packed his gear away, “WHAT the F*** is THAT”? he said when he saw my trike, I explained the ins n outs of trikes to him, he asked for a quick spin on the back,
afterwards he couldn’t stop laughing and said “JESUS, I have GOT to get me one of them” so every time I see him on his, I think to myself, “I did that!!
Ignore him Warren – some of us got sex! Not with the Big Yin, alas.
I was only thinking back to the HM Holocaust last night, Moterhead (Lenny on home ground), Ozzy, Aerosmith played there to, what a day that was. I’v been to the Monsters of Rock/Download at Donington a good few times as well. Once, when Maiden played the Sunday night, I was flying out to Ibiza on holaday with the wife the next morning from East Midlands airport, shes not into this kind of old thing, so there was no way on god earth I was getting her go. Anyway, I’v got the ticket for the Sunday and she gets me over there. I told her meet me at the Airport on the Monday morning. After the gig, make my way there, one of my mates took his bike thankfully and there I’am. Needless to say I was made to change clothes before we boarded the plain.
What this place need is somthing like that again. I know people say we have the V but its not the same, ever tryed getting tickets for that thing, for the last two years I’v failed, well last year I was that sick,I could’nt have gone. This year, gone in a hour or so to ticket sellers and the public then paying silly money, and its full of bloody kids wanting to see utter s**t.
No what we need round hear is a blood big outdoor Rock Fest, stuff your other stuff. Bring it to the Brit, Hanley Park- we got 10,000 in there the other weekend- or Alton Towers- imagen that, loads of your local rockers just desending on the Towers, haveing a day on the rides and rocking out. Get Maiden, Moterhead and/or Slash, another big name and a few back ups, by god thats whats called for, but I’m dreaming of-course.
Tony, thank you, i’v been saying it for years, we need a venue of 6,000 to 7,000 seats hear in Stoke, and to hell with more f*****g shops. Nottingham have it now, so why the hell can’t we.
Could not agree more Warren, Stoke needs a decent sized live music venue, we used to ask some of the bands like Iron Maiden etc why they used to insist on playing Victoria hall, even though quite often they could only fit half their stage set in (and then it was a struggle )
and the answer was always the same, “the atmosphere and the local fans”
and then the council “ballsed it up” by ‘modernising’ Vicky hall, they ‘modernised’ it so much no one can fit anything in there now,
I won’t hijack this thread further with off topic ramblings, but, perhaps it could be an idea to have an “open general chat” thread on this site where we could just have non specific “chats” it would help to prevent threads straying “off topic” and accusations of “hijacking”
just a thought,
Will Huntbach Street Bus Lane be removed, when the buses are diverted from Town Road http://j.mp/fw8CG2 ? and the council has made some extra cash
Well its Mid May now and apart from the boards- mothing, rien, bugger all. No activity or signs of activity. I think that Hanley Bus Station is the Council’s Stalingrad. If they don’t deliver on this them that’s it.
its also very costly John Street car park was bring in around £38,000 per month, with the political closure before the elections that has now cost the city £76,000 will that be going on Labours election expenses?
£100,000 lost income taking into account loss to tesco .
Can new cabinet give date contractors are on site
I have been told that the new bus station will not happen now has the council do not have the money for it.
Anyone know anything about this?