Delight as Cromer bus station opens
There was applause and delight as the ribbon was cut and Cromer bus station was officially opened this morning.
After campaigning tirelessly for years with several court actions and appeals, the first phase of the new bus station in Prince of Wales Road was revealed and opened for public use.
Passengers no longer have to crowd together on the pavement on Cadogan Road to wait for buses, but can use the new shelter at the station.
Town mayor Greg Hayman said: 'I am thrilled it's open. This is phase one and the county council have been generous. The next stage will be to build proper bays. Before, people would miss buses and it was dangerous. People have worked hard along with different parts of the County Council.'
The second phase will also involve demolishing the former tourist information centre.
Norfolk County Council Infrastructure Officer Peter Cudby said: 'It's a good piece of collective working. It's one of the campaigns we are willing to fight. It was deemed very beneficial to have bus services operating but because of the times we are in we had to cut our cloth.
'There was a safety concern in getting the bus stop off the road. The new station is fit for purpose but it's an interim measure.'
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Graham Plant, Cabinet member for travel and transport said: 'It has been a long period of trauma. I think people and visitors to Cromer will find it fantastic. It shows commitment from the County Council and it's beneficial to the town and the tourism industry. It's good to see the council investing in Cromer.'
Chairman of Norfolk County Council Shelagh Hutson, who was born in Cromer, said the new facility was vital for the town.
Charles Sanders, managing director of Sanders Coaches said: 'We have 70 departures a day. It's the best bus system in north Norfolk that I can remember. There's a bus every half an hour to Norwich and Sheringham. I am delighted to see it open.'
The original bus station was closed in 2006 and although bus companies said they were happy to operate at street-side stops, campaigners said the seaside town needed a bus station.
Developers Ortona proposed to build 12 flats and a shop on the site however the appeal was taken to the High Court.
