£4m Funding Agreed for New Rawtenstall Bus Station

Funding is now in place to build a new bus station in Rawtenstall after Lancashire County Council agreed to put nearly £4m towards the project.

A decision agreed today (Tuesday 19 July) by Lancashire's deputy leader and the cabinet member for highways and transport, will see the council commit £3.4m towards its construction, and a further £512,000 towards ongoing maintenance.

This follows a recent decision by the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) board to put £1.9m Growth Deal funding towards the Spinning Point development which will be home to the new bus station.

The eight-stand bus station, which is included in the East Lancashire Masterplan, will be ideally located to serve the town centre and new retail and office space proposed as part of Spinning Point, as well as supporting the existing high-quality bus links within Lancashire and into Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.

The bus station will be delivered by Rossendale Borough Council which has agreed to build and own the facility, and operate the station for 25 years with the help of the county council's £512,000 contribution towards the building's maintenance.

County Councillor John Fillis, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "Good transport links and infrastructure are fundamental to support our economy and help people access opportunities and go about their lives, whether they need to get to work, school or college, or visit family and friends.

"I'm glad to be able to agree the significant investment needed to deliver Rawtenstall's new bus station, which is an important part of Rossendale Borough Council's plans to regenerate this area and secure a healthy economic future for the town."

Graham Cowley, chair of the LEP's Growth Deal Management Board, said: “The £1.9m Growth Deal funding for this new Rawtenstall bus station is a further example of how the LEP supports key regeneration projects across the county. Good quality public transport interchanges in particular are crucial for connecting local communities to local businesses, and the development of Spinning Point is part of a wider integrated strategy for Lancashire which links together transport, housing and skills to drive growth and create jobs.”

Stuart Sugarman, Chief Executive of Rossendale Borough Council and RTB Board Member welcomed this announcement; “The RTB Board is delighted to have final confirmation of the funding for the new bus station development. This really brings the project to life and we are all working hard to deliver for Rawtenstall. Investment of this scale will mean this development will bring huge improvements to commuters, strengthens our visitor offer and will generally boost the wider Rawtenstall economy.”