Minister welcomes plea for new bus station

Dale Mulgrew and Paul Rowen outside the Department of Transport in Westminster

The campaign for the new town centre bus station took a step in the right direction last week as former MP - Paul Rowen and acting Deputy Leader of Rochdale Council Councillor Dale Mulgrew visited the Department of Transport to hold a meeting with the Lib Dem Minister of Transport, Norman Baker MP.

The delegation from Rochdale once more impressed upon the Transport Minister the need for the town centre to have a new bus station given the state and future viability of the current one.

They also emphasised the importance of this project to the overall regeneration of the town centre and were able to reconfirm the investment the Council has already spent on acquiring the site and re-mediating it.

Paul Rowen said: "It was good to meet a minister from the Lib Dem team who was aware of this scheme's importance to Rochdale and to it's town centre."

"The transport Minister made special reference to the fact that the new bus station will be powered by green technology, having a power supply provided by a hydro scheme installed onto the river Roch."

"The Minister also acknowledged that Rochdale Bus Station was reaching the end of its life and needed urgent replacement."

Councillor Mulgrew added: "This visit to our own Lib Dem Minister was very well received and all round this was a valuable exercise in putting Rochdale's case forward for a new bus station."

"I was particularly keen to understand the new financial context after the recent announcements on the spending review."

"It became clear at the meeting that any further help the Council can provide on funding this project will be acknowledged as beneficial to Rochdale's status within the list of projects still to be determined. Although the Minister recognised the investment that the Council has already made in preparing the site.

"Finally, I backed up the point on the green tinge associated with the design of the new bus station, as we are both aware that the sustainability agenda is important to the Transport Minister, given his previous background as an opposition environmental spokesperson."

Rochdale Council and GMITA will be submitting a revised outline bid for the new bus station to the Department of Transport before Christmas. It is expected that a final decision on whether funding will be granted will be made next year