Rawtenstall’s £3.5m bus station a step nearer as old station demolition begins

Council bosses have begun dismantling Rawtenstall’s 1970s bus station as work nears completion on its £3.5 million replacement.

The Bacup end of the old bus station was demolished at the weekend.

Rossendale council said two rarely used stands were taken down as part of works to complete the new bus station.

It will allow a new traffic light system to be created at the junction of Lord Street and Bacup Road.

Currently there is a zebra crossing just before the junction.

The work did not affect bus users and did not involve any road closures or traffic management.

The council said the new bus station, due to be finished by developers Barnfield this summer, is ‘nearing completion’.

The new station, located between Kay Street and Bacup Road, has been funded by Rossendale council, Lancashire County Council and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership.

Originally set for completion last year, it was delayed by a protracted wrangle with Royal Mail over road closures around its Kay Street sorting office.

Its completion will bring to a close the first phase of the £9.4m Spinning Point scheme – together with the redevelopment of the old town hall.

Council leader Alyson Barnes recently told the Free Press the council has ditched plans for seven retail/food and drink units as part of the redevelopment, which will instead focus on a residential complex and luxury spa.

She had said: “We will have more public realm and probably parking.

“Probably, to me, that chimes with what people would prefer to see. The difficulty is the bottom has completely fallen out of retail.”