The City of Cardiff Council has launched the public engagement on the new bus interchange which will give residents, visitors and commuters the opportunity to have their say on the new facility by visiting
http://www.surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/busstation2014/ or http://www.surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/busstation2014/cym.
The route map of the Central Square regeneration area is gathering pace, with BBC Cymru Wales recently announcing to relocate their headquarters to Central Square from Llandaff, with a landmark Sir Norman Foster building, as part of a three quarters of a million square foot, mixed use development brought forward by Rightacres Property Co and the Council.
As part of this, the Council is committed to working with our partners to deliver a world class gateway into the city.
The current administration has committed to carry out public engagement on the new bus interchange. This will take place in a number of phases:
• The survey is now available online so anyone can log on and give their view –http://www.surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/busstation2014/ or http://www.surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/busstation2014/cym/
• The survey will be available in the Capital Times from early September – www.cardiff.gov.uk/capitaltimes
• Targeted communications will take place through established panels to ensure harder to reach groups can contribute, including the Citizens Panel targeting 5,500 people
• An advertising campaign is scheduled to begin on September 1st, with a public event at Cardiff Central to engage with public transport users
• Paper copies of the survey will be available on local buses, at the bus station, in libraries and in hubs later in August.
Cllr Ramesh Patel, Cabinet Member for Transport, Planning and Sustainability, said: “The regeneration of this area of the city is an exciting time for Cardiff, this is a one in a lifetime opportunity to create a place that the people of Cardiff are proud of and one that leaves a lasting positive impression. We hope that everyone takes the time to fill out the survey and play their part to shape the future of this part of the city.”
In anticipation of the need to provide interim bus station arrangements while the development takes place, the Council has already carried out a series of bus infrastructure improvements to increase on-street capability on Westgate Street, Custom House Street, and Churchill Way. Further opportunities for temporary capacity increases are available in Wood Street, Lower St Mary Street and potentially Callaghan Square.
The improvements will mean that the majority of Cardiff Bus Services will be able to maintain their existing routes during the interim arrangements, either circling the city centre in an anti clockwise direction or looping in Mill Lane/Custom House Street to exit the city via Westgate Street.
The existing bus station is due to close in June 2015, when it is envisaged that the plans to transform this area of the city will start when the building programme will begin.
