Bordon on the Border [4]

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Thanks to the Plymothian Transit blog for drawing our attention to a trip which would combine two of the chubby one's interests.

On Wednesday last, were you in the Plymouth area, you could enjoy a tour of Plymouth's post-war churches whilst travelling on a vintage, yellow, left hand drive bus. The destination display does look like the old Plymouth Corporation style. fbb wonders why Plymothian Transit has never revealed details of this fascinating vehicle before.

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Go, Go, Eco-town!

At Bordon Camp crossroads, where the A325 intersects with the B3002, is the Fire Station.

It was always part of the military establishment but as a result of cut-backs and re-organisation had been closed for some time. Now this intriguing building rises, phoenix-like, from its impotant past as ...

Bordon Eco-station. You can tell it's "eco" as the doors are now painted green instead of red!

So what exactly is an eco-station? Does it generate "green power"? Will it be the site of the terminus of the rebuilt Bordon railway branch? See "Bordon on the Border [2]" (read again). Will it be the home to strange hippy people making gritty pots and eating sumptuous (?) vegetable stew?

The disused Ministry of Defence Fire Station is being transformed into an Eco-station which will provide community and training facilities. It will also serve as an exhibition centre for the latest eco technology and there will be a dedicated area for the local natural history society.

So it's a "green" community centre!

But that's not all. Because in the grounds of the Old Fire Eco Station is a greenhouse; sorry a "green" house.

This has been built in the grounds of the Fire Station and will demonstrate how low-carbon living can work. The house will showcase a range of building techniques and technologies. The garden will be landscaped using native species and will include a place for growing food.The two/three bedroom home will be open to the public until after the exhibition phase when it will be occupied.

Enjoy 5 minutes of unparalleled excitement as actor Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey's Lord Gantham) performs the opening ceremony:-

All very impressive and spiffing, but what about public transport? Those who objected (and continue to object) to the Eco-town scheme have pointed out that public transport is wholly inadequate. 

The appropriate pages on the "Eco" web site offer only the services as outlined in yesterday's blog (read again). Certainly, if the town is to become "green" and rely less on the decidedly "mud-brown" motor car, something better is needed. And there has been a cunning plan ...

... with much "consultation".

Well, perhaps the green shoots of "green" may be appearing, because a band new bus service is starting on Monday 15th May. And fbb will be there! Well, actually, he won't in person, just "virtually"; but a blog or two reviewing the new routes will be a poor second best.

Saturday and Sunday will offer a brief railway/tramway interlude; so blog readers must try hard to contain their Bordon-inspired excitement until Monday!

 Next Bus Tram Blog : Saturday 11th May