Chichester bus station should be included in city’s new ‘masterplan’

The news that Chichester Crown Court is no longer part of the Southern Gateway should be viewed as a positive development.

Buildings are generally best served by working as they were originally intended and in this case the frontage makes a positive contribution to the southern approach to the city.

The same can be said for the bus station and bus garage. Getting people out of their cars and onto public transport should be seen as an urgent priority to help reduce congestion and pollution and play a part in addressing the issues of climate change.

Some simple, low-cost improvements could be made to enhance the links between the train and bus stations and promote the use of public transport.

Providing decent facilities is essential and the surest way to make bus users feel second-class citizens would be to abandon them to a series of bus stops.

Architects and structural engineers (myself included) are now actively prioritising the retention and re-use of buildings instead of the wasteful and harmful demolition.

If the council are serious about working to tackle climate change, as it notes on its website, it can begin by incorporating the bus station and garage into a new masterplan for the southern part of the city.

To read more, see Chichester bus station: ‘We should be making public transport more attractive’ – reader’s letter and Chichester’s bus station should remain