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After more than a decade of waiting, plans to revamp an 'unwelcoming' bus station in Maidstone have been approved by councillors.
The station, which runs underneath The Mall and alongside Sainsbury's, has been earmarked for an overhaul for at least 13 years.
Now councillors have voted to start a public consultation on action to brighten up the area by giving it a cosmetic facelift, meaning it is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Back in 2007 a new transport hub linking King Street and Romney Place became a council aspiration.
Then in 2014, there was hope the refurbishments would come as part of improvements of The Mall. But despite upgrades to the shopping centre, the bus station is yet to see any changes.
In August last year, John Foster, MBC's head of regeneration and economic development said the council was putting the finishing touches on its plan.
These now show changes to the station will include improvements to lighting, the replacement street furniture and floor tiling, new signage and, real time passenger information.
As the plans were being discussed, councillors overwhelmingly expressed their support for the revamp of the station which has previously been described by officers as 'unwelcoming', 'threatening in character' and 'not fit for purpose'.
It's hoped the renovations will change this making it more accessible and user-friendly while meeting the needs of the Integrated Transport Strategy (ITS).
Artists' impressions also show a space has been designated for an installation of public art. Cllr Paul Harper expressed that he hopes this will be commissioned by local artists.
One slight change which was echoed by several committee members involved adding large numbers to make it more clear where people need to stop.
These would be placed on the colourful pillars separating each bus stop.
Upgrades to the 1970s structure will be purely cosmetic with no structural works on the cards.
Cllr Keith Adkinson said although he is pleased to see this, he would have liked further improvement in the form of a one-way system similar to the bus station in Canterbury.
Architect and visiting member Felix Lewis addressed these concerns saying although it would be desirable, it is not possible without completely redesigning roads across the whole town centre.
Other additions to be considered would be introducing anti-graffiti paint suggested by Cllr Wendy Young, and space for a 'bug hotel' as suggested by Cllr Martin Cox to make it more environmentally friendly.
The budget for these changes was initially set at £1.5m but as further assessments were made it now sits just shy of £1.1m.
The majority is being paid for by MBC plus £30,000 each from KCC, Arriva and Capital and Regional, the company which owns The Mall.
When asked about a contingency budget by Cllr Blackmore, Mr Foster said it allows for £70,000.
Planners say without this investment, the bus station will continue to deteriorate. They fear customer use of bus services may even decline, leading to a higher dependency of cars, increased congestion and poorer air quality.
Now approved, a public consultation will begin on July 22. Display boards and a comment box will be made available in The Mall from the first week of August.
