Andy Munns
Coach passengers arriving at Salisbury city centre will soon benefit from better facilities and a more pleasant experience as part of the remodelling works due to take place at Salisbury Coach Park.
Located at Mill Stream Approach, the coach park will be closed from Tuesday, 2nd January 2024, for approximately four months to enable the remodelling works to be carried out.
Once reopened, the coach park will provide six coach spaces in the main coach park for drop-off/pick-up passengers only.
The layover parking will provide a further ten spaces in the Central Car Park, in the area currently occupied by the Environment Agency’s site compound.
The area will also benefit from improved lighting, wayfinding and landscaping, including the planting of native species of trees and shrubs, plus the creation of a small pocket park to the south of the Elai Restaurant.
A welcome space will also be created close to the new footbridge, including seating and an information board. A mural is also underway on the toilet block to improve the area further.
Cllr Caroline Thomas, Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “I’m really pleased to see the remodelling works are starting in the new year. I’m sure people will agree that the current coach park site does not provide a great first impression for people visiting Salisbury and could have an impact on repeat visits. For Salisbury to make the most of the visitor economy and be people’s destination of choice, it is important we provide better facilities for coaches to pick up and set down passengers who visit and wish to experience all this historic medieval city has to offer.
“It therefore made sense for these improvements to be undertaken as part of the Salisbury River Park project and are the last of the big infrastructure activities to be carried out before the project completes next summer.
“We recognise that these improvements will cause some disruption to local people and especially the coach drivers. We have chosen to carry out these works at the beginning of the year when statistically fewer coach visitors come to Salisbury. We would like to thank everyone in advance for their patience during this time, but it will be worth it in the long run.”
During the period the coach park is closed, the only place that coaches will be able to pick up and set down passengers in Salisbury city centre will be:
• Exeter Street, where four free temporary coach parking bays will replace the current car parking area north of Carmelite Way (residents’ parking on Exeter Street remains unchanged)
• The existing coach drop-off bays near the Cathedral on St John’s Street
Feature Image: Google Streetview
