Outline planning approval for new Bolton bus station

Plans for a brand new bus station in Bolton town centre have been approved in principle by town leaders.

GMPTE, on behalf of Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority and in partnership with Bolton Council, is developing proposals to create a brand new bus station next to Bolton railway station, on land bounded by Newport Street and Great Moor Street.

An application for outline planning approval was submitted in April. Bolton Council’s Planning Committee approved that application on Thursday – which means it agrees with the project in principle.

The scheme design will now be developed and it is intended that a detailed planning application will be submitted early next year.

The new bus station would replace the existing facility at Moor Lane and offer improved links between rail and bus services, as well as improved waiting areas, passenger facilities, accessibility, information, and safety and security.

Councillor Richard Knowles, Chair of GMITA’s Capital Project Committee, said: “This project is a very important scheme contributing to Bolton’s regeneration and, together with the project to improve Bolton rail station, will make public transport a more attractive and appealing option within the town centre.

“The new facility will be a modern and high quality bus station, so I’m really pleased that we can now press ahead with the project and develop a striking, landmark facility in the town centre that the people of Bolton can be proud of.”

Councillor Cliff Morris, Leader of Bolton Council, added: “This represents a significant milestone in the delivery of the Innovation Zone. The transport hub will support the creation of jobs in the future and also regenerate a key gateway into Bolton.”

Subject to securing the necessary approvals and permissions, the new facility could be operational by winter 2014/2015.

The scheme is being funded through the Greater Manchester Transport Fund and forms an integral part of Bolton Council’s town centre regeneration programme.

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The Ratty

The Meet Me at the Station project was officially opened by Ribble Valley Mayor, Lois Rimmer on Saturday 22nd May 2010. The Mayor opened the display by making a ‘mini-me’ out of plasticine which was then placed on one of the outside ‘platforms’ at the gallery.

The display, in the Platform Gallery in Clitheroe, is the culmination of a six week project which saw Ribble Valley & Blackburn Primary schools working with local artist Alastair Nicholson to create a huge number of ‘mini-me’ models and the five stations along the line between Blackburn and Clitheroe out of plasticine. The ‘mini-me’ models and  the stations have also been made into a short animation by Alastair and this is being shown as part of the display. Children are being encouraged to get involved when they visit the exhibition by making their own ‘mini-me’ model and adding it to the  outside ‘platforms’ below a specially created vinyl banner.   

The Meet Me at the Station project has also been expanded to include a photographic exhibition with the same theme. Two schools that have been involved in the ‘Brian the Bull’ project have written railway themed poetry as feedback and these are displayed on the fence, close to the railway, at the rear of the gallery as a ‘poetry ribbon’ . Inside the gallery is a large amount of artwork by the children and this includes charcoal sketches of the pieces of railwayania that have been excavated from the disused Great Harwood Loop Line close to Padiham Green Primary School.

The children from St. Mary’s RC Primary, in Langho, and Padiham Green Primary Schools have also been able to visit a professional recording studio to record their poetry thanks to links with The Grand in Clitheroe. The recordings will be played both inside and outside at the Gallery over the three weeks of the exhibition between Saturday 22nd May and 12th June 2010. The Platform Gallery is open Monday to Saturday 10.00 to 16.30.

The project has been funded by the Aggregates Levy and Ribble Valley Borough Council and is supported by the Clitheroe Line & East Lancashire Community Rail Partnerships, Ribble Valley Rail and the Platform Gallery.

The South Fylde Line Community Rail Partnership has recently produced a full colour brochure, called Discover The South Fylde Line, to promote the line that runs between Preston and Blackpool South.

Designed by Source Creative and funded by the Partnership and the Designated Line Community Rail Develeopment Fund, the 12 page brochure is filled with suggestions of places to visit and things to see from the line.

The brochure will be formally launched at the Blackpool North Community Open Day on Saturday 5th June 2010. Copies of the brochure are available form local rail booking offices and tourist information outlets. To download a PDF version of the brochure click on the image below. (You will need Adobe Reader to view it).

Discover the South Fylde Line

Lancashire County Council has produced a new guide called West Lancs by Bus - A Walking and Leisure Guide. The guide is specifically aimed at the leisure market and to people travelling by bus.

To quote the leaflet; ‘Rural West Lancashire is an ideal destination for a day out and is well served by a network of bus services. There are a number of exciting places to visit on the bus route from nature reserves and beautiful countryside, to pretty villages and historic buildings. Much of the area falls within Ribble Coast and Wetlands (www.ribblecoastandwetlands.com) which attracts significant numbers of birdlife. This leaflet will inspire you with ideas for activities to suit the whole family, as well as providing details of several walking routes that can be accessed directly by bus.

A good number of the attractions are also accessible by train either on the Preston to Ormskirk Line or on the line between Wigan and Southport and three of the four walks start either at a station or within a short walk from the station.

To download a PDF copy of the leaflet click the image below (you will need Adobe Reader to view it).

West Lancs by Bus - Walking and Leisure Guide

Northern Rail and Martin Mere Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust have struck a deal when travelling by train. Adult visitors who show a valid rail ticket can get £1.75 off the normal price. Children & concessions also get a discount. Full details can be found by visiting either www.northernrail.org/offers/daysout/WWT+Martin+Mere or www.wwt.org.uk/visit-us/martin-mere/how-to-find-us

Northern Rail’s 156464 was named Lancashire DalesRail in a ceremony at Clitheroe Interchange on Friday April 30th 2010. The naming to celebrate 35 years of the DalesRail service was attended by about 60 people including invited guests from the rail industry and from the Lancashire Rail Ramblers. After short speeches from Richard Watts (LCC) and Matt Beeton (Northern Rail’s Area Director) Howard Hammersley (Rail Ramblers) spoke about the history of the DalesRail service and how it came into existence. Howard and Matt then pulled the cord and declared the unit duly named Lancashire DalesRail.    

DalesRail is a partnership between LCC, Northern  Rail, the Clitheroe Line Community Rail Partnership and the Rail Ramblers and continues to be a great success carrying over 4100 passengers in 2009. A great number of the passengers travel on the service to take part in the guided walks led by volunteers from the Rail Ramblers organisation.

Issue 8 of Reading Between The Lines, the newsletter of the Lancashire Community Rail Partnerships is now availble to view and download online. Click HERE to see Issue 8.

On October 3^rd 2009 Northern Rail stopped operating services on the Oldham Loop Line to allow work to begin converting the line for an extension to the Metrolink tram system. The five units that operated the service (The Oldham 5) were placed into ‘warm store’ and since 19^th October 2009 GMITA have been sponsoring 3 of the units for strengthening purposes in the Manchester area. 

From 12^th July 2010 The Department for Transport have agreed to pay for all 5 units to be used for strengthening peak Northern Rail services in the Manchester area, particularly on the Calder Valley and Clitheroe routes. Details of the services on the Lancashire community rail lines to benefit from this strengthening can be seen below:

• 05.55 Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe (Bolton 06.12, Blackburn 06.52, Clitheroe 07.17) strengthened from 150/x to 150/x + 153
   
• 06.57 Huddersfield to Southport (Manchester Victoria 07.47, Wigan Wallgate 08.26, Burscough Bridge 08.42, Southport 08.59) strengthened from 156 to 156 + 142 (already strengthened from 19th October 2009 as part of GMITA’s on going support)
   
• 07.23 Manchester Victoria to Blackburn (Bolton 07.42, Blackburn 08.20) strengthened from 153 to 150/x  

• 07.40 Clitheroe to Manchester (Blackburn 08.03, Bolton 08.30, Manchester Victoria 08.52) strenghtened from 150/x to 150/x + 153  

• 08.32 Blackburn to Manchester Victoria (Bolton 09.02, Manchester Victoria 09.26) strengthened from 153 to 150/x
    
• 15.40 Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe (Bolton 16.00, Blackburn 16.30, Clitheroe 16.56) strengthened from 153 to 150/x
   
• 16.03 Manchester Airport to Southport (Manchester Piccadilly 16.22, Manchester Oxford Road 16.26, Bolton 16.45, Wigan Wallgate 17.03, Burscough Bridge 1720,  Southport 17.37) strengthened from 150/x to 2 x 142
   
• 17.09 Clitheroe to Rochdale (Blackburn 17.31, Bolton 18.01, Manchester Victoria 18.24, Rochdale 18.47) strengthened from 153 to 150/x
   
• 18.00 Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe (Bolton 18.20, Blackburn 18.49, Clitheroe 19.14) strengthened from 150/x to 150/x + 153
   
• 18.23 Manchester Victoria to Blackburn (Bolton 18.43, Blackburn19.21) strengthened from 142 to 2 x 142
   
• 19.31 Blackburn to Manchester Victoria (Bolton 20.02, Manchester Victoria 20.24) strengthened from 142 to 2 x 142
   
• 19.40 Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria (Blackburn 20.03, Bolton 20.25, Manchester Victoria 20.52) strengthened from 150/x to 150/x + 153   

Richard Watts, Partnership Secretary for the East Lancashire CRP and Rail Projects Manager for Lancashire CC commented in his opening remarks that:

“SusStations simply means Sustainable Stations and is a project part funded by the EU through the Interreg IVB programme.  It is part of the railway sectors response to the challenge of Climate Change and the need to reduce carbon emissions, energy consumption and to make better use of resources. 

I use the term railway sector as the partners to SusStations embrace not just major railway players like Network Rail, ProRail and Deutsche Bahn but also local government organisations such as Lancashire County Council in the UK and Region Haute Normandie in France and regeneration bodies such as SeaSpace (or Hastings and Bexhill Renaissance which is a part of Seeda – the South East England Development Agency).  There is also another angle to the project which is probably unique to the UK as it also involves our Community Rail sector through the East Lancashire CRP and Marshlink CRP”. 

 The photograph below shows left  to right: Stephen Joseph, Campaign for Better Transport, Chris Mole MP, Parliamentary Undersecretary for Transport, Ruut Lowers, Director Interreg IVB Programme, Richard Watts, Rail Projects Manager Lancashire County Council. 

House of Commons Reception 22.03.10 (DL)