(a)

proposals for Bretonside bus station consisted of a £42m cinema and mixed use Drakes Circus Leisure development; this was announced in March 2014 at a Cabinet meeting;

(b)

the Drakes Circus Leisure development would consist of a 12 screen Cineworld cinema including one IMAX screen, 14 restaurant or leisure units, 424 car parking spaces and the creation of a high quality public realm in Exeter Street and Bretonside;

(c)

to support the Drake Circus development the current transport facilities at Bretonside bus station needed to be relocated including scheduled coach services, visitor coaches, local bus services and lorry parking;

(d)

with regards to the new coach station location, in 2009 a feasibility study was undertaken to assess the best location within the city; a series of options were investigated and the preferred locations were Bretonside, the Civic Centre and the Mayflower West car park. As the first two are now to be developed Mayflower West car park was identified as the location for the new bus station. It has good access for coaches from Western Approach and provides good access to the city centre and west end;

(e)

it was expected that the outline design and public consultation for the proposed coach hub would be undertaken in Summer 2014 and that the planning application would be submitted in the Autumn of 2014;

(f)

approximately 200,000 passengers used the current bus station at Bretonside every year however passengers were faced with potential problems due to the location of the site, the lack of a clear pedestrian route out of the bus station as well as the stepped access to the site. The site was considered to be larger than required;

(g)

plans for the new coach hub included 7 coach bays, one layover to support future capacity for growth, passenger drop-off facilities, a ticket office  and external and internal waiting facilities; the area would also be landscaped with living walls;

(h)

the Council had recently purchased Taylor Maxwell House in which the ground floor of the building would be used as a ticket office and waiting room; a café facility would be provided in this part of the building, possibly via a newsagents.

(i)

Plymouth City Council owned the land that the new coach station was due to be situated on;

(j)

it was expected that traffic signals would be installed to allow coaches to gain access both in and out of the coach station;

(k)

a living wall , high quality paving, appropriate lighting and public art are all being considered for the Cornwall Street entrance to the coach station to improve its appearance and provide a welcoming entrance;

(l)

it was not expected that the ticket office and indoor waiting area would be open 24 hours a day as it was considered that the majority of coaches would arrive during the day; this facility was expected to be staffed between 7am to 7pm;

(m)

the coach station would be well lit, would have help points installed and would have CCTV in operation;

(n)

there were plans for a taxi pick-up and drop-off point to be situated on Mayflower Street where the existing taxi rank is. A pick up/drop off area would also be provided within the coach station car park and taxi passengers could also be picked up here. Members were concerned that locating the main taxi facilities on Mayflower Street would not offer the convenience passengers required and asked that officers look at providing a formal taxi rank within the car park;

(o)

the coach station design team were satisfied that access to the coach station from Mayflower Street or Western Approach was feasible however Officers took on board Members concerns that Mayflower Street was quite narrow and regularly got congested due to the level of traffic and the nearby bus stop;

(p)

lorry drivers currently parked-up at Bretonside Bus Station however it was not a statutory responsibility of the Council to provide this facility; it was expected that lorry drivers would utilise the Lee Mill facility instead;

(q)

both CityBus and First Ltd used the layover above Bretonside Bus Station to schedule bus departures however these scheduled bus journeys would be moved to Royal Parade if feasible;

(r)

the car park was expected to be pay and display for up to three hours;

(s)

Officers would strongly support local traders that wanted to refurbish their shop-fronts and would try to fast track applications in order to help improve the general ambiance of the area;

(t)

cycle parking would be installed at the station;

(u)

local businesses and residents would be contacted as part of the public consultation that was scheduled for late August 2014; there would be two exhibitions over two days and plans of the proposed site would be displayed; Officers took on board Members comments that the consultation should be advertised in local libraries and further afield to broaden the response rate;

(v)

pedestrian access to the site would be DDA compliant and there would be clear signage to direct those passengers wishing to get a taxi; for public conveniences Officers were looking into the feasibility of having a standalone toilet or access to the toilets within the ticket office outside of working hours;

(w)

payment would be required to gain access to the toilets and CCTV would be installed both internally and externally to monitor security; the car park would also be covered by CCTV cameras;

(x)

the monitoring of the site had to be balanced with the reality of potential Anti-Social Behaviour incidents;

(y)

the proposed coach station had been designed to ensure it was fit for purpose to meet the needs of the city currently and in the future; the station would be well lit, safe, would have an attractive waiting area and would be a welcoming gateway to the city;

(z)

officers would investigate the feasibility of installing lockers and providing passengers with luggage trolleys;

(aa)

it was hoped that a small catering facility, such as a café or newsagents, would be situated inside the ticket office to provide food and drink; Officers would investigate the possibility of installing vending machines outside of the ticket office.