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Out with the old as bus station closes

Carolyn Mitchell
27/10/2004

WORKERS at the old bus station on Sunderland Street took one last look around on Saturday before it closed for good.

The building is to be demolished to make way for a new £13 million doctor's surgery.

The demolition is about to begin and take eight to ten weeks to complete.

Buses have been using the new bus station in the centre of Macclesfield for a year now, but the old depot was still used for engineering works and bus storage.

An Arriva spokesman confirmed that 18 out of the 63 employees based at the depot, which includes drivers, engineers and office staff, have lost their jobs.

The rest of the staff will work at a depot on the outskirts of the town, which is yet to be established, or in other areas.

Bob Hind, managing director of Arriva Northwest, said: "The new facilities are already working well helping us to provide good quality services for our customers.

"It has been a challenging few months while relocation issues were resolved but we are confident that customers will soon start to see a real improvement in local bus service in Macclesfield."

M&A Demolition, based in Manchester, has been awarded the demolition contract and will begin by removing asbestos from the site.

The main warehouse and ticket office will then be demolished.

A spokesman for the company said: "This project is close to our hearts, as we have worked in Macclesfield for many years, working on such projects."