Designers bid for public vote in new bus station

ARCHITECTS bidding for the chance to build a new bus station in Stoke-on-Trent will again be put under the microscope of public scrutiny.

The city council recently announced a shortlist of six teams hoping to land the tender to design the transport hub in Hanley which will be the first part of a new £275m retail development.

An exhibition of initial submissions has been extended into this week because of public demand.

The six shortlisted architectural design teams are being led by Austin Smith Lord, BDP, Grimshaw, John McAslan and Partners, Wilkinson Eyre and Zaha Hadid.

Each of the teams put together a display which shows initial concepts to give residents an idea of their own capabilities.

A final decision on which team will design the new bus station is expected later this month by a judging panel made up of representatives from North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership, an independent architectural adviser and Birmingham-based developer Realis Estates.

Realis plans to revamp the former East West Centre shopping to create a 750,000 sq ft complex with a department store, shops, cafés, restaurants, hotel, multi-screen cinema and improved parking.

The scheme is expected to create thousands of new jobs and provide a significant and sustained boost to the local economy.

Realis Estates MD Duncan Mathieson said: “The new bus station is a vital part of our plans for the redevelopment of the East West Centre.

“It will become a stunning new gateway not just for the scheme itself but for the whole of the city centre.

“The city has a bright future with a number of major investment projects now either underway or in the pipeline. We are proud to be part of these exciting plans.”

Under a development agreement approved by with city council in December 2009, Realis Estates has committed £4.5m to the station.