Below is an alternative vision for the future of the Bus Station. To be re-named The Charles Aslin Bus Station.

The possibility of retention and refurbishment was never considered when the original agreement to create apartments, bars and restaurants and a new bus terminal was reached with MetroHolst in 1997. This was because many of the possible funding sources, such as from the East Midlands Development Agency, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the EU, were not then available. This could be run in conjunction with an ‘Adopt a Bay’ initiative, whereby local firms will be invited to adopt one of the bus bays (possibly the one where their employees catch the bus to go to work). This would be an attractive opportunity for many of the large as well as smaller firms in the city to become involved in an exciting new development and, in return, have a space for advertising their goods and services to visitors to the city as well as to residents. These measures will enable the new development to be funded without Derby's taxpayers having to foot the bill.

Renovation is therefore now an option which should be seriously considered before works begins. The Art Deco bus station would have its original booking hall reinstated, with an internet café above it. The original platforms should be retained, but modernised and possibly either re-modelled, such that the curves at the apexes are less pronounced or fully straightened out with sheltered waiting areas featuring automatic glass doors and electronic signs listing arrivals and departures. Furthermore, the Coach Park could be utilised as an expansion space. The original neon sign outside the bus station, which was removed in the 1950s, would also be replaced. If it is deemed unworkable to retain any of the infrastructure behind the main frontage building maybe this could be retained as an integral part of the proposed Riverlights development. Although much of Riverlights is of suspect value from the environmental point of view at least it would not have led to the destruction of a key part of Derby's architectural heritage and sense of place. Such a development would utilise Derby's heritage instead of destroying it, and would have the potential to turn around the whole sorry saga of the Riverlights fiasco into a PR triumph for Derby.

City Council leader Chris Williamson has said there is no prospect of the plans being drastically changed now. However, you can still exert pressure on your local representative on the City Council to put in train a full, open public consultation process by writing to them explaining that there is another, alternative scheme that can be pursued on that site.

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This site is a copyright (2006) of Christopher Bentley: Internet Affairs Representative of the Bus Station Action Group