Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed by Leicester City Council to develop a new building to replace the old St Margaret's bus station and create more attractive routes for pedestrians and cyclists as part of a major scheme to revamp the city centre.

The initial stages of construction work on the new St Margaret's Bus Station are now underway.

The new bus station building will have glazed walls and feature a curved aluminium roof that appears to float above the main concourse hall.

Bus passengers will benefit from a completely redesigned and improved internal layout with a new café, better seating, modern toilets complete with a new Changing Places accessible toilet, and real time digital passenger information. There will also be increased capacity for national and regional bus services, with the number of bays increased from 18 to 24.

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Electric bus charging points will be installed, and the new building will feature secure storage for up to 150 bikes.

A series of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures will help make the new bus station a net carbon zero building. The roof will be fitted with around 750sqm of photovoltaic panels which will generate enough energy to power the new bus station and feed surplus green energy back into the grid.

Improvements to footpaths and roads next to the bus station will also take place. This will include better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians, safer crossings to soften the impact of the ring road, new landscaping and more tree planting. The work will help strengthen and improve links between key development sites and the city centre, including the new Savoy Street which will provide a direct link between the St Margaret and Haymarket bus stations.

Richard Frape, Project Director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: "The new station will make a real impact on the lives of people in Leicester. It will improve commutes while also creating better transport connections with other parts of the UK; all whilst reducing carbon emissions through the use of electric buses.

"In addition, footpath improvements, safer crossings for cyclists and pedestrians and storage for 150 bikes, will all support active transport methods.

"Leicester City Council is a long-term customer and we’ve worked hand-in-glove with them to design a bus station which will help meet the council’s net-zero carbon target and encourage people to use greener and cleaner transport.

"As with all our projects, we look forward to boosting the local economy by utilising skilled local suppliers wherever possible."