Derby secures £3.6 million for bus station extension

Derby City Council has successfully secured funding to extend the bus station, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

£3.6 million has been allocated from the government’s National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF), a £23 billion source of central government investment for areas that help to boost productivity.

The project will involve the provision of additional waiting areas and nine additional bays to accommodate new services from new housing sites.

It also includes additional space for buses entering the concourse to ease congestion from the highway.

It is hoped that the funding will move the project forward quickly and a planning application will be made in early 2018.

Martin Rawson, deputy council leader and cabinet member for regeneration and economy, said: “This is a welcome announcement which will have a positive outcome for local people, businesses and commuters. The bus station currently accommodates over 500,000 departures per year, and there are a number of services that terminate on street, which can create congestion in the city centre.

“With the Derby Urban Area set to grow by 18,000 new homes by 2028, it is essential that investment is made to be able to support and encourage people to travel by sustainable modes. This extension will not only allow us to extend the number of services into the city from these new developments, but will further improve journey times, and reduce congestion in the city centre. This will encourage more residents to travel by bus, which will positively contribute to an improvement in air quality in Derby.”

Tom Morgan, director of service delivery at trentbarton, said: “At trentbarton we are fully supportive of Derby City Council’s NPIF bid which will assist with the continual investment in public transport infrastructure. The investment will ensure the high standard of delivery can continue, improve and grow in line with the growth we are currently seeing in public transport use.”