Ten trees to be removed for construction of temporary bus station

Last week, St Helens Council announced that Chalon Way West was chosen as the preferred site for the town's temporary station, with the current station set to be demolished and replaced by a new and improved transport hub.

Construction of the temporary station will begin once planning permission has been approved.

The council says that an application will be submitted in the "coming weeks", ahead of an announcement on a "comprehensive town centre interim movement strategy" later this year.

READ > Detailed plans go in for £28m transformation of historic town centre

Trees to be cut down and replanted

Exploratory works had been going on at Chalon Way West before it was chosen as the preferred site (Image: St Helens Star)
As it is necessary to remove ten trees around Chalon Way West to construct the temporary station, some Star readers questioned whether replacement trees will be planted.

The council has confirmed that the ten trees will be replanted on a 2:1 ratio in suitable locations" around the town centre.

This is in addition to the 117 new trees and 265m of hedgerow that will be introduced in the town centre as part of the main Phase One development.

S Helens Council has also been a part of the 'Grow Back Greener' programme, led by the Woodland Trust, to plant 46 heavy standard trees and a further 8,325 smaller trees across the borough over winter.

Layout of station to come in planning application

The layout of the station is yet to be approved (Image: St)
In regards to the temporary bus station, some readers had raised concerns over its proposed layout and potential bottleneck at the bottom of Bridge Street.

The council said that plans have not yet been agreed on for the layout of the temporary station, and elements relating to the new hub, such as a ticket office and drive facilities, which will come together in the planning application. 

A further Reserved Matters planning application will be submitted later this year for the creation of the town centre’s new multi-modal transport interchange, which will be delivered with financial support from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.