Contents. 1. Introduction Proposed Development Consultation Strategy Analysis of Responses Conclusion..

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2 Contents 1. Introduction Proposed Development 4 3. Consultation Strategy Analysis of Responses Conclusion Appendices 29 2

3 1. Introduction 1.1 This report is written in support of Transport for Greater Manchester s (TfGM) full planning application for the development of a new bus station, formation of a single bus concourse, redesign of carriageways and public realm on the site of the current Wigan Bus Station. The site is located to the north of Wigan Rail Stations, adjacent to New Market Street and parallel to Hallgate/Market Street on either side. 1.2 The purpose of this report is to record the consultation that TfGM carried out prior to submitting the full planning application. It describes the bus station scheme and the early design proposals, which formed the basis for consultation. It sets out the methods used to engage with stakeholders and members of local communities and summarises the responses that have influenced the submitted proposals. 1.3 The consultation took place between 23 rd November and 20 th December Proposed development 2.1 Wigan Bus Station is a key component of plans to grow and regenerate Wigan town centre which will also benefit the wider borough. The development will provide a substantial improvement in facilities, making public transport, cycling and walking more attractive options. In turn this will increase access to jobs, learning and leisure opportunities. The new bus station will support the Council s strategy to deliver significant growth in the local economy over the next decade and ensure people are able to take advantage of job opportunities and enjoy an excellent quality of life. More information about Wigan s economic strategy is available at The key benefits of the scheme The Wigan Bus Station scheme is also part of Greater Manchester s strategy to develop a strong and prosperous economy and contribute to making Greater Manchester a cleaner, safer and more attractive place to visit, live and work. The benefits of the project are: Improved accessibility into and across the town to employment, education, leisure, retail and other travel modes; Significant contribution to the regeneration of Wigan Town Centre by delivering a new, more attractive bus station that complements the wider town centre development; 3

4 Higher levels of personal safety for public transport users through a staffed and well-lit concourse, which includes CCTV recording and monitoring, and reduced person-vehicle conflict; Improved customer satisfaction, as a result of the improved facilities and passenger information. 2.3 Proposals under consultation A summary of the proposed changes to redevelop Wigan Bus Station is listed below: Change the layout of the bus station from three island platforms with drive on, drive off (DIDO) arrival and departure to a single, modern covered concourse building with 19 drive in reverse off (DIRO) stands to enable the consolidation of the bus bays into one covered concourse building, locating the stands closer together to reduce walk times for passengers changing between buses and other modes of transport; The covered concourse will improve passenger comfort and weather protection with improved passenger information; The new bus station design will use space more efficiently, accommodates the current bus services (average 85 departures per hour) and has capacity for 152 departures an hour, allowing for potential growth; Improved vehicular and pedestrian access to and from New Market Street/Frog Lane by improving the existing junction; Encourage more people to use public transport by upgrading the facilities e.g. bus information screens, café, Wi-Fi internet access; New toilet facilities which includes accessible toilets, Changing Places and baby change facilities; Reducing the number of pedestrian crossing points across the site from 14 to two; Improve access to and from The Galleries and wider town centre by improvements to Lever Street (covered) and Queens Pass, whilst maintaining the existing routes. 4

5 3. Consultation Strategy 3.1 Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) carried out public and stakeholder consultation between 23 rd November and 20 th December Aims and Objectives The aims and objectives of the consultation on proposals for the Wigan Bus Station were: To ensure that a wide range of people, including stakeholders, had the opportunity to hear about the new scheme and put forward their views; and To ensure that community engagement activities were fully accessible, informative and of relevance to the participants. 3.3 TfGM is continuing to work to achieve the following objectives: To ensure that information is fed back to communicate the final scheme design to stakeholders and the wider community in an effective way; To ensure that stakeholders and the wider community are kept up to date during the construction period and informed about temporary bus service arrangements; and To raise the profile of the scheme and create a sense of community ownership and community pride. 3.4 Feedback from the consultation has allowed TfGM to address any concerns about the proposals as the detailed design is developed. All feedback received has been carefully considered and responses have been issued to those queries raised during consultation. 3.5 Following the submission of the planning application, Wigan Council as the local planning authority, will notify stakeholders about the full planning application. This will provide a further opportunity for residents, local businesses and other local stakeholders to comment on the updated proposals through Wigan Council s planning process. The updated version of the plans will be available at and on Wigan Council s website as part of the planning application. 3.6 Work is expected to start on Wigan Bus Station in 2017 and be open for use in Methodology The consultation on Wigan Bus Station took place between 23 rd November 20 th December Consultation activity was designed to reach four main audiences: Councillors; 5

6 Councillors; The general public; Current and potential future bus station users; and Stakeholder groups e.g. local businesses, Wigan and Leigh College, The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College and Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group. 3.9 Consultation with Councillors At the start of the consultation period Councillors were invited to a briefing event on the proposals for the bus station, held at the Town Hall on 24 th November The consultation leaflet and additional information was also circulated to Wigan Councillors who are members of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee shortly before the public consultation began. Stakeholder Date Details Transport for Greater Manchester Committee Wigan Members 18 th November 2015 TfGMC s Wigan members were briefed by and received a copy of the public consultation leaflet Wigan Councillors 24 th November 2015 Councillors were invited to attend a member s briefing at the Town Hall by TfGM Project Manager James Nairn and Robert Owen from Wigan Council 3.10 Public consultation The consultation was promoted to local residents through a number of channels: 3.11 Consultation leaflets A total of 6,411 leaflets were distributed across Wigan. The leaflet provided information on the proposals, artist s impressions of the early designs, details of the public events and how to submit views to the consultation. A copy of the consultation leaflet is provided in Appendix A. 4,666 leaflets were distributed to all properties within an 800 metre radius of Wigan Bus Station 6

7 site on 20th November A map showing where the leaflet was posted is included in Appendix B. Many members of the public expressed a desire to have access to the online consultation form rather than a hard copy. On 23rd November, 100 leaflets were provided to students and staff at an initial meeting with Wigan and Leigh College. A link to the online consultation form was also provided. On 24 th November, 50 leaflets were placed in the Travelshop for members of the public to pick up and collect. On 25th November, 40 were leaflets provided to the Wigan Walking and Equestrian Forum. A link to the online consultation form was also distributed to the members of the forum. On 26th November at an initial meeting with Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group, 100 leaflets were provided to be distributed to NHS surgeries across the borough. An additional 50 were provided on 7 th December. On 2nd December, 40 leaflets were distributed to businesses in Wigan Town Centre. At the public event held on Friday 4 th December, 30 leaflets were distributed to vendors within Wigan market. On Friday 11 th December, 500 leaflets were distributed to public buildings across Wigan borough. This included 100 to Wigan Library, 50 to Wigan Wallgate rail station, 50 within the Travelshop of Wigan North Western rail station and an additional 100 to the Travelshop in Wigan Bus Station. A total of 535 leaflets were handed out to members of the public at the seven public events held across Wigan town centre Public events Seven public consultation events were held during the consultation period to enable the local community to speak directly to Transport for Greater Manchester staff. A variety of accessible venues were chosen for the events during the week, at weekends, in the day and during the evening to enable as many people as possible to participate in the consultation. Transport hubs and the shopping centre were also chosen due to their potential to reach people 7

8 coming into the town centre from all parts of Wigan borough and further afield. This aim was achieved as can be seen from the post codes of people who completed a response form (see section 4.4). The events were promoted via the consultation leaflet, TfGM s website, posters, media releases and social media. Wigan Library Thursday 26 th November 2015, pm Grand Arcade Shopping Centre Saturday 28 th November 2015, 10.00am 5.00pm Wigan Wallgate Rail Station Monday 30 th November 2015, pm Thursday 3 rd December 2015, am Wigan Market Hall, New Market Street Friday 4 th December, 10.00am 5.00pm (attended by a British Sign Language interpreter) Wigan Bus Station Tuesday 8 th December, 10.00am 5.00pm Saturday 12 th December, 10.00am 5.00pm 3.13 TfGM s presence at each venue was indicated by two pull-up banner stands showing the early designs for Wigan Bus Station and featuring bullet points for the main benefits to public transport users. Two/three members of TfGM staff attended each event to give people copies of the leaflet, answer any questions, listen to and record any comments and to remind people they could submit comments up until 20 th December by post, or through the website. Website Information about the Wigan Bus Station and the consultation was provided on dedicated web pages on the TfGM website: The website provided an opportunity for respondents to submit their views to the consultation via an online form, which asked the same questions as the printed form in the leaflet. The consultation was advertised on the home page of the TfGM website enabling visitors to the site to click through to the information about the bus station and the online form to submit 8

9 views to the consultation process. The website featured large print and easy read versions of the consultation information. The website also featured a British Sign Language video which explained the proposals and how to submit comments. During the consultation period, TfGM recorded the following number of visits to its Wigan Bus Station pages: Content of the website page Introductory information about Wigan Bus Station Number of unique visits 2,116 British Sign Language video 10 Frequently asked questions about Wigan 166 Bus Station In addition, TfGM also logged the following number of clicks and downloads: Description of content Wigan Bus Station advert on the home page of the TfGM web site Number of unique clicks or downloads Wigan Bus Station consultation form Posters at Wigan Bus Station and Wigan bus stops Twenty-five large posters and 250 smaller bus information posters were put up at Wigan Bus Station and bus stops across the borough from 19 th November. The posters informed people that a new bus station was being planned for Wigan, the time and place of the public events and the website address to read about the plans and submit views to the consultation. The posters are shown in Appendix C Media releases To help launch the public consultation and ensure high levels of awareness, TfGM and Wigan Council officers briefed a reporter for the Wigan Evening Post and Wigan Observer, on November 23 rd. This resulted in coverage in both papers later that week 9

10 A media release was also issued by TfGM on 25 th November to promote the consultation. As well as being published on the TfGM website, articles were published in Bus and Coach Buyer UK and Place North West Social media TfGM and Wigan Council used Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn to promote the consultation for the Wigan Bus Station. From 23rd November 20 th December, 18 tweets were posted from TfGM s twitter account. TfGM also used Facebook (five times) and Linked In (once) as well as publishing a sign language video on YouTube to share the news that the consultation was underway Response mechanisms Respondents to the consultation were provided with a range of response mechanisms to submit their comments on the proposals. These included: Public events: seven public events were held during the consultation period Telephone: by calling wiganbusstation@tfgm.com The TfGM website Post: to the freepost address, TfGM Wigan Bus Station, Freepost, Manchester, M1 3BG, RRHE-RKUU-KSJY Section four of this report details the responses to the consultation received via each of these channels Consultation with Stakeholders Staff from Transport for Greater Manchester arranged seven meetings with stakeholder groups during the consultation period. A summary of the groups, dates of meetings and their operations are listed on the next page; Stakeholder Date Details Disability Design Reference Group (DDRG) 12 th November 2015 TfGM s DDRG act as a specialist consultation group to help develop accessible barrier-free designs which comply with (and 10

11 often exceed) legislation and best practice standards. Bus Operators Liaison Group 13 th November 2015 Attendees from; Stagecoach Arriva First Group Cumfy Bus National Express Wigan and Leigh College 24 th November 2015 Wigan and Leigh College offers part-time, full-time education and career guidance to 13, year olds within the borough Town Centre Management Board 25 th November 2015 TfGM provided access to information and offered the opportunity to meet with local business representatives Wigan Youth Zone 26 th November 2015 Wigan Youth Zone offers recreational, professional and personal development opportunities for young people from across the borough Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group 26 th November 2015 and 15 th December 2015 Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group is the statutory body responsible for commissioning local health services in Ashton, Leigh and Wigan. The borough CCG helped to distribute leaflets to NHS surgeries across Wigan borough. Stakeholder Date Details The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College 15 th December 2015 The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form for pupils across Wigan. 11

12 A presentation was given to pupils and a question and answer session held. Wigan Access Committee 6 th January 2016 The Wigan Access Committee allows councillors and local businesses the opportunity to discuss investment opportunities and local government decisions for the borough of Wigan. The committee indicated they were unable to convene until January TfGM gave a presentation followed by handing out additional leaflets and material as per the public consultation Additional stakeholders consulted included: Stakeholder Wigan Shopmobility Wigan Town Centre Business and Retail Forum Wigan Taxi Association Wigan Cycle User Group Walkers and Equestrian Forum Details TfGM spoke to staff and supplied information/survey forms for service users TfGM spoke to staff and supplied information/survey forms for service users and businesses TfGM spoke to primary point of contact and supplied information/survey forms TfGM spoke to staff and supplied information/survey forms TfGM supplied information/survey forms to forum users 12

13 4. Analysis of Responses 4.1 Feedback from Councillors and Stakeholders During the consultation period meetings were organised with a wide range of stakeholders. The feedback received is summarised below. Stakeholder Councillors Disability Design Reference Group Bus Operators Design of the bus station Facilities Further comments Design of the bus station Facilities Further comments Design of the bus station Facilities Summary of feedback Advised that the boundary fences needed to be sufficient for the neighbouring properties, also advised that we should look for a greater presence for the bus station on Market Street with a protruding canopy No comments provided. Urged that disruption is kept to a minimum with appropriate screening Largely positive Welcomed proposals for Changing Places Asked for lessons learnt from previous similar schemes to be taken into consideration - concerns raised around signage, contrast and wayfinding and TfGM are developing a signage strategy taking these into account. Also raised question on greater integration between rail stations Positive about the plans would like to see a greater number of layover spaces. TfGM will consider this option (See appendix D for letter of support from Stagecoach GM) Suggested the presence of an Arriva desk within the new waiting facility Stakeholder Wigan and Leigh College Summary of feedback No specific comments. Generally supportive. 13

14 The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College Wigan Access Committee Facilities Design Further comments Facilities Broadly supportive of the need to modernise existing facilities, enquired about the provision of Wi-Fi and public toilets. Questions regarding how buses will turn around, how the doors will open, if there will be a second floor to the bus station and if the enhanced access area will go ahead. Other questions focused on the potential disruption. Discussions took place regarding how TfGM could involve pupils in the project development at an appropriate stage i.e. public art The Access Committee was broadly supportive of the scheme designs, proposals and the facilities being provided. Design Would like to see more taxi rank provision than on the current designs Further comments Requested the presence of a staff member from early evening onwards Regular briefing sessions have been held with TfGM s own Bus Station Staff to gain operational input within the design, to ensure they were able to advise on the bus station proposals and answer any queries. 4.2 Public Feedback In total 182 responses to the consultation were received via the Transport for Greater Manchester Wigan Bus Station survey form (paper copies and through the website). This level of feedback is comparable to similar consultation exercises recently carried out for other bus stations and interchanges in Greater Manchester. The method by which they were submitted is shown in the table below. Comments gathered at the seven public consultation events have also been recorded in question 2. It was decided that an additional seven-day window should be provided for members of the public to respond, to allow responses to be received by post in view of the Christmas holidays. As a result, all responses received by members of the public up to and including Monday 28 th December are included within these figures. 14

15 Source of responses Public responses Paper response form returned by post 134 Online response form Telephone 0 Total 182 The analysis of the public feedback received has been split into the following sections that follow the format of the consultation questionnaire: What are your views on the proposed new Wigan Bus Station? This includes responses submitted via the formal consultation form (either by post or via the TfGM website) and views expressed at the six public events held across Wigan. About you to understand which part of the community participated in the consultation. 15

16 4.3 Question 1: How important are each of these facilities to you? (Please rate 1 5, with 5 being the most important) The scores that all respondents gave have been added together to show which facilities were most important to people who responded, out of a maximum 910 (182 respondents x 5) Facility Total score A covered bus station and seated waiting area Improved security 721 New fully accessible toilets, including 716 baby changing facilities Bus information screens 714 The proposed layout of the new bus station Easy access to bus station staff 623 A ticket and information outlet 617 Café/coffee shop 586 Retail/Newsagents 477 ATM/Cash machine 450 Wi-Fi internet access 440 Cycle storage facilities Question 2: How would you use the new bus station: as a starting point, end point or changing point for your journey? Not all respondents answered this question and some people said they would use the bus station for two or all of the possible answers. The responses received are shown below. How would you use the new bus station? Total Changing point 66 End point 116 Starting point

17 Question 3: What are your views on the proposed design of the new facility? Over 300 comments were received about the design, layout and features of the new bus station from members of the public via the survey forms. The comments are summarised in the table below. In addition, fifty-two comments were recorded at the seven public events. These comments are also recorded below. Comment Detail Number of people who commented via the survey form Generally Positive Plans look good Generally negative Waste of money Safety and CCTV Comments included much needed investment and about time Many of those who were supportive of the scheme proposals thought the plans looked good and a new bus station was just what Wigan needs Comments here varied but several felt there was nothing wrong with the existing bus station Some respondents felt the scheme represented a waste of money for reasons such as it works fine and one asked why are you doing this when there s a recession on? Many who responded thought the proposed new bus station would be safer i.e. I would feel safer here late at night Number of people who commented at a public event Total number of comments

18 Comment Detail Number of people who commented via the survey form Nothing wrong with it now Nice design Size Buses reversing Integration (poor) Roofing and shelter All of those who responded about the scheme being a waste of money suggested there was nothing wrong with the existing facilities Of those who were generally positive about the proposals, several focused on the design of the proposed bus station. Comments included This looks really modern and I really like the design in the pictures Comments and queries included Will there be enough room for passengers within this concourse? and Will there be enough room for all the buses? Two respondents in particular asked if the public concourse needed to be wider Several respondents asked if the idea of buses reversing was safe Respondents questioned why the bus station wasn t moving closer to the railway station/s Many supported the idea of a single roof to protect from the elements Number of people who commented at a public event Total number of comments

19 Comment Detail Number of people who commented via the survey form Public toilets Of those who discussed the future provision of public toilets, all focused on the poor state of the existing toilets. One individual at an event said: I don t mind paying 20p for clean toilets. Of all those written responses regarding the toilets, three asked Will the Future disruption Lighting Heating Enhanced pedestrian access Just what Wigan needs toilets be free? Three formal respondents asked about the potential disruption. Each of them asked what will happen to the buses? All of those who mentioned lighting of the new facility were positive, including It looks really bright and airy Members of the public asked about heating and how multiple opening doors would insulate heat. Two members of the public at an event felt the design should reflect Huddersfield station s one exit, one entry system for boarding Of those who referred to the Enhanced pedestrian access marked on the plan, queries included What is being done with the enhanced access and Do not demolish any buildings Four people used the phrase just what Wigan needs in their responses Number of people who commented at a public event Total number of comments

20 Comment Detail Number of people who commented via the survey form Hope it lives up to expectations Taxi provision Cycle storage Access to Frog Lane Bus station foundations Consultation Roofing Environmentallyfriendly measures Three respondents said I hope this lives up to expectations within the consultation form Responses here included Where will taxis go? and There is nothing for taxis on the designs Three people discussed cycle storage, with one asking Will it be covered with protection from the rain? Enquiries asked Will access to Frog Lane be improved? Responses/queries asked if it was true that the station is sinking Two people wrote that the consultation was pointless because you re going to do it anyway Two respondents suggested the roof of the bus station should be extended toward the neighbouring shopping centre Two respondents asked if enough was being done to accommodate environmentally-friendly aspects within the design Number of people who commented at a public event Total number of comments

21 4.4 Profile of respondents To help understand which parts of the community took part in the public consultation, we asked respondents to give their gender, age group, details of health problems or disabilities and ethnic background. The profile of respondents is shown below. Question 4: Please tell us your home postcode A large number (160) gave their post code as shown below. Post code/area Total per area Wigan - WN1 54 Wigan - WN6 27 Wigan - WN2 20 Wigan - WN3 20 Wigan - WN5 19 Wigan - WN4 6 Warrington - WA3 3 Bolton BL7 2 Manchester City Centre - M1 1 Southport - PR8 1 Bolton BL6 1 Warrington - WA1 1 Leigh - WN7 1 Chelmsford - CM17 1 Wigan - M46 1 Bolton - BL5 1 Tyldesley M29 1 Total number of people

22 Question 5: What is your main means of travel to/from Wigan Town Centre? The most popular mode of travel to/from Wigan Town Centre by respondents was the bus (110 people, 61%). The chart below shows the respondents main means of travel to and from the town centre. 20, 11% 3, 2% Mode of transport 14, 8% 30, 16 % 4, 2% 110, 61% Bus Rail Coach Taxi Car On foot Question 6: If travelling to or from Wigan by train, which station are you most likely to use? The most commonly used station was shown to be Wigan Wallgate, with 108 of the 163 (66%) respondents who answered this question indicating this was their most commonly used station. Number of people using each station 55, 34% 108, 66% Wallgate North Western 22

23 Question 7: Are you male or female? The gender split was fairly balanced, 104 respondents were male (57%) and 78 were female (43%), as shown in the pie chart below. Number of respondents by gender 78, 43% 104, 57% Male Female Question 8: Which age group are you in? In terms of age groups, the largest number of respondents were aged between (68 people, 37% of respondents). The breakdown of respondents by age group is shown below. Number of respondents by age range 22, 12% 1, 1% 12, 7% 26, 14% 68, 37% 53, 29% Under years years years years 75+ years 23

24 Question 9: Do you have any long-term illness, health problem or disability which may limit your daily activities? 50 out of the 182 people (27%) who participated in the consultation indicated they had a longterm illness, health problem or disability. The remaining respondents answered no, preferred not to disclose or left this section blank. The types of disability or impairment are indicated below. Disability Total Percentage of people who completed the survey form Mobility issues 21 12% Arthritis 11 6% Autism 5 3% Heart problems 4 2% Blind 2 1% Angina 2 1% Depression 2 1% Asthma 2 1% Cancer 1 <1% Question 10: What ethnic group do you belong to? The survey form allowed respondents to describe their ethnic group in their own words. Of the 153 respondents who completed this section, the most common ethnic group given was White British. The breakdown of respondents by ethnic group is shown in the pie chart below. Number of respondents by ethnicity 3, 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 14, 9% 55, 36% 22, 15% 21, 14% 28, 18% 2, 1% White British British White European Prefer not to say White English English Caucasian Anglo-Irish Church of England Mixed-race White/Black African Christian 24

25 If you wish to be kept informed of the development of this scheme, please give your contact details One hundred-and-eight people expressed their wish to be kept informed of the development and gave their contact details (either a postal or address). 25

26 5. Conclusion There was significant support for the proposed design and facilities of the new bus station for Wigan, as well as some constructive feedback and criticism. Many people welcomed the investment as well as the modern design. They particularly liked the fact that the new facility will provide more shelter and seating, offer a more attractive first impression of the town and improved security measures. In terms of critical comments, the issue most frequently mentioned was value for money, with people questioning why money was being spent on a new bus station when the existing facility already served its purpose. Future communications about the bus station will need to highlight that the bus station is being funded by the Government s Local Growth Fund and not by Wigan Council and that this money could not be diverted to provide Council services or towards other projects. Communication around the scheme should also emphasise the need to update the existing, outdated facilities. A relatively small number of comments focused specifically on the design of the facility itself. There was a concern that the building concourse was not large enough to meet demand and whether the proposed new station would be able to accommodate the same number of bus services per hour. As a result of this feedback, the design has now been amended to provide a wider concourse area at specific points. Clarity on the capacity, where requested, has been provided. The proposed facility can accommodate 152 bus movements per hour (BMPH) taking in account future growth projections. The current average BMPH is 85. This has been conveyed to those who queried the size and capacity of the proposed facility during the consultation. It is therefore considered that the proposals should progress based on what was presented to the public during consultation. 26

27 6. Appendices Appendix A Wigan Bus Station Consultation leaflet, page 1 of 6 27

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33 Appendix B Map showing properties where the Wigan Bus Station consultation leaflet was distributed 33

34 Appendix C Wigan Bus Station Posters used at Wigan Bus Station and bus stops across Wigan 34

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36 Appendix D Letter of support from Stagecoach Manchester 36