Gloucester’s new bus station hub is continuing to take shape this month as demolition of buildings has been completed and the archaeological dig begins.  

Gloucester City Council is currently on schedule for the build of its new bus station hub in the city centre. Since the necessary demolition has been completed, the resulting rubble has now almost been cleared.  

New scaffolding is being erected so that the exposed end wall of Grosvenor House can be weather proofed with new cladding. The remainder of Grosvenor House and Bentinck House are due to be demolished in a later phase of the Kings Quarter plans, on which public consultation will take place this summer.

The archaeological dig, which will be done by Cotswold Archaeology, will begin from 27^th June. Cotswold Archaeology has a history of working with the City Council including at Blackfriars. Depending on the amount of rainfall, the dig should only take between two to three weeks.

Cllr Paul James, Leader of Gloucester City Council and cabinet member for regeneration, said: “Ahead of the archaeological dig beginning, I am really pleased to see how much progress has been made on site so far.

“The regeneration of our city centre is a key priority for the city council and something I feel passionately about. The bus station is a hugely important part of this, and I hope it will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the heart of our city.”

The City Council secured £6.4 million of grant funding from central government through GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership and Gloucestershire Local Transport Board towards the cost of building the new bus station. Plans for the new hub include a modern fully enclosed concourse, 12 bus bays, a manned ticket office, electronic timetable displays, a new cafe and CCTV.  

Whilst the construction work is being carried out, the existing bus station will remain fully functioning and existing bus routes and stops are not expected to change.