Slough Borough Council has brought together bus companies, designers, planners and insurance loss adjusters to deliver a renovated and restored bus station following the fire in October last year.
The fire, which started in the early hours of 29 October 2022 in a bus parked on the site, caused hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage to the bus station, rendering the whole structure unsafe and unusable.
However, just three months on, the structure has been made safe and the open air land opened up for the bus companies to use for parking.
Now the new group, being led by the council, is looking at how best to bring the building back into operational use.
Work is likely to take place in two phases:
- The ‘head’ – which had minimal damage from the fire, but was unusable due to water and other damage, in particular to the electrics. This phase would reopen the bus company offices, rest rooms for drivers, the shop and public toilet.
- The ‘tail’ – which took the brunt of the fire damage both in the overhead structure and the bus stops beneath.
Councillor Mohammed Nazir, lead member for transport and the local environment, said: “The new group we have set up includes not only the bus companies but designers; all of whom bring expertise on the building itself but also on the operational efficiency of any proposals which come forward.
“Though our main aim is to bring the bus station back into use, we would be remiss if we didn’t consider making changes which may be better for both the bus companies and the thousands of residents who use local buses.
“The bus station is a unique structure, bespoke for the town and putting it right again is not as simple as just appointing a contractor and getting on with it.
“This is not necessarily a case of replacing like with like but finding the best solutions and working with stakeholders to implement them.”
The bus station currently remains closed. Buses are continuing to use Brunel Way and Wellington Street as stopping places.