91Èȱ¬

A new bus station due to open next year has been designed to attract new visitors to a town, a council has said.

Durham County Council said building work on the transport hub in Bishop Auckland was on track and that the facility would replace the "low quality" current station, with the aim of boosting trade in the town.

The town's former Saddler Street bus station closed in September 2023 and local services were diverted to Tenters Street and Newgate Street.

The local authority said the station and extra car parking space was part of a wider plan to redevelop the town centre.

It also said the new car park would reduce pressure on residential areas during cultural events such as the food festival and the open-air historical show, Kynren.

The hub, which is due to open in December 2025, will also have a new pedestrian area to the east, near to the Newgate Shopping Centre, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "An improved hub will replace the existing, low-quality bus station and provide the local community with up-to-date facilities.

"We hope it will improve journey quality and increase visitor numbers and trade in the town."

She added that building on the same site was less disruptive for people living in the area.

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