Oh no it doesn't.
Oh yes it does.
Thousands of Exeter folk have been enjoying (?) one of the longest running Pantomimes in Exeter's history; but it looks as if the year-long (and more) performance had finally closed is doors.
Oh no it hasn't.
Oh yes it has.
Prologue : January 2016
It is all to go ahead.
Oh no it isn't.
Oh yes it is.
Act one : Mid 2016, The design for the stage sets are revealed.
The Council announces that this will deliver the quality bus station that Exeter people deserve.
Oh no they don't.
Oh yes they do.
The new bus station is further from the shops, has less stands than the overclouded bus station has now, less space for buses to be parked for drovers' breaks and no room for National Express coach services.
Despite these obvious failings, the closure of the old stage is announced in October 2016 ...
Oh no it isn't.
Oh yes it is.
... with a definite date for it to close at the end of March this year.
Oh no it won't.
Oh yes it will.
But wait - enter the evil Bad Baron Byalik (Councillor of that ilk) ...
Boo, boo, boo, hiss.
... to make a "shock announcement".
This, says the Councillor, "is to allow us to re-think a few details of the plan before committing to it."
Oh no they won't.
Oh yes they will.
But Councillor Byalik plays the good cop, bad cop game and, a few weeks ago, makes another proclamation.
More money will be found.
More money will be found.
Oh no it won't.
Oh yes it will.
So it is all back on track ...
... with work to begin in the autumn..
Oh no it won't.
Oh yes it will.
All that was now needed was for the construction company to sign up.
Oh no they won't.
Oh yes they will.
Whether they did or didn't is now immaterial because the last act of the Pantomime began around lunchtime yesterday.
Crown Estates cited "Market Forces" which usually means that the developer has now decided it won't get its money back and the deal is a big-time loser. For whatever reason no developer means no development and no development means no new bus station.h
Suggestion for the Council. Cough up a couple of million to refurbish the existing facility and look again at developments of the surrounding area wen "Market Forces" are more favourable. Will the Councillors take up this suggestions.
Oh no they won't.
Oh no they won't.
At the time of writing the above, Exeter Council had said nothing about the future; but later yesterday afternoon Councillor Peter Edwards was prognosticating.
He has taken over as Bus Station supremo from Bad Baron Bialyk. He sounded very positive.
Obviously he has a fully workable cunning plan.
Oh no he doesn't
Oh yes he does
Really?
Oh yes he does.
Oh yes he does.
Oh yes he does.
Really!!
Oh no they won't.
Oh yes they will.
Oh yes they will.
Buses for fbb from Seaton will stop on Sidwell Street (map, upper right) ...
... further from the main shops than the now defunct new bus station (on Cheeke Street) and even further from the old bus station bottom centre. But this inconvenience will, according to Mr Edwards, be only for a "short pause" until activity bursts forth from the Council Chamber once again.
It is all looking good for the people of Exeter.
Oh no it isn't.
Oh no it DEFINITELY isn't.
One conclusion from all this is clear. Councillors and Public Transport simply do not mix.
What a Pantomime!
What a Pantomime!
Today's planned North Wales blog will re-appear tomorrow!
Oh no it won't.
Oh yes it will.
Next information blog : Wednesday 27th September
Meanwhile, across the Bristol Channel, things are little better in Cardiff: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/plans-cardiffs-new-bus-station-13367126. And we've already lost our ld bus station.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I like your word "overclouded" - presumably the sun comes out sometimes, even in Exeter?
Having just come back from a weekend in Cardiff the bit I was especially impressed by in all the chaos was the 'Where to Board Your Bus' maps on many of the stops which dated from August 2015 and so didn't include any of the services operated by NAT and were out of date for many of the Cardiff Bus routes as well (again council provided information).
DeleteAnother successful project from our awful RMT bus rep playing councillor. At least now he can focus on screwing Exeter bus travellers even more with his beloved RMT's planned strike action.
ReplyDelete"overclouded" - didn't spot that one, Andrew!
ReplyDeleteThey will probably claim that the new on street arrangements are wonderful and don't cause any problems!!!!!!!!!!!! Job done. Sell the whole of the site to a developer. Councillor applauded.
ReplyDeleteA decent bus station as a focal point and transport hub in a town or city is, I'm afraid, a thing of the past... the land is worth more sold off by the asset stripping council, or indeed bus company! Look how many we can think of that have disappeared: just off the top of my head there's Plymouth, Barnstaple, ilfracombe, Salisbury, (or sailsbury if you're First South Western Railway), minehead, Southampton, Haywards Heath etc etc. Exeter needs a poxy arts centre like it needs a hole in the head. The northcott struggles to survive, so it really needs yet another theatre that will need to be constantly propped up by bail outs from exeters council tax payers.
ReplyDeleteSorry not Barnstaple, that one is still hanging on in there... substitute any of these though: Exmouth, Newton Abbot, Shanklin, Ventnor, Cardiff of course, or Blackpool!!
DeleteUnless you happen to be in a PTE area, where bus stations still rule, witness Bolton.
DeleteThe saga goes back much further to when there were plans by Burton's to redevelop their Debenhams site (now John Lewis) plus the surrounding parts of Sidwell Street and the bus station site which would all have become a huge shopping centre with the bus station moving to where MFI was (now Vue cinema). Burton's got into financial trouble, abandoned their property development arm and the plans were abandoned.
ReplyDeleteThe logical solution today is to do up the existing bus station (which is the right size and well located) and make the lower level available for redevelopment now that it's no longer needed as an overnight bus park. Councils, however, don't do logical and are far to wedded to their own over-egged pet projects which usually become expensive white elephants and continue to cost ££££££ for ever more....
Now staying open until spring 2018 - see Devonlive. Oh yes it is .....
ReplyDelete