Published: 01 December 2023
From: Business and economy
A multi-million outline design has been agreed by the Cabinet at its meeting this week for the Station Gateway public realm and bus station improvements. This will deliver major improvements to the area around the bus station and along The Martletts which links County Mall to Queens Square. A more attractive and accessible space for shoppers, travellers and businesses will be created.
Included are better bike and pedestrian access between the bus and train stations, County Mall and The Martletts, landscaping, seating and improvements to the bus station with better traffic flows around Friary Way and onto Station Way.
Nearly £7.5 million from the Crawley Growth Programme and Towns Fund has been secured for the investment. The Cabinet will ask all members of the council at a meeting on 13 December to approve the financial plan.
The Cabinet is pleased that this important project is moving to the next stage, and I look forward to seeing this important gateway to the town centre becoming a more attractive place to work, visit and shop. We will be seeking views from the public and local stakeholders early next year. I hope many people will tell us what they think of our latest plan to drive forward Crawley town centre regeneration.
Councillor Atif Nawaz
Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Development
Crawley Borough Council
There will be three weeks of public consultation, planned to start in January, ahead of a planning application being submitted. A main construction contractor will be selected later that year and works are expected to start on site during spring 2025. Completion of the work is anticipated in late 2026.
This scheme follows granting of planning permission for the Arora Group’s project, working with Network Rail, to upgrade Crawley railway station and deliver 306 apartments between the railway line and Station Way.
The Station Gateway follows recently completed highway improvements, also as part of the Crawley Growth Programme, for the town centre Eastern Gateway and in Manor Royal.
The Crawley Growth Programme is a major regeneration programme of infrastructure improvements and physical regeneration designed to support significant increases in new homes, business investment and employment growth.
The programme is being delivered by Crawley Borough Council in partnership with West Sussex County Council, underpinned by £47.5m of public funding and supported by a range of public and private sector organisations including Metrobus, Manor Royal Business Improvement District, the Arora Group, Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway.
Projects completed to date include public regeneration schemes in Queens Square and Queensway, highway improvement schemes in Manor Royal and at the Eastern Gateway to the town centre, new cycle path on Worth Park Avenue and outdoor media in Manor Royal.
tags: