Work to replace cladding at bus station begins
LDRSWork to remove and replace cladding on a city centre bus station has started.
Repairs to the facility on Durham's North Road - which opened in January 2024 - were needed after an external company originally installed defective cladding, Durham County Council said.
The bus station opened after a £10.4m redevelopment, but the construction experienced several delays due to the building's condition.
The council said the repairs would take about seven months to complete, with a lane closure in place, but added it would be temporarily reduced during Durham Miners' Gala in July.
This week, contractors started removing and replacing defective cladding at the station, which currently has scaffolding covering the exterior and surrounding pavements are blocked off by fences.
Durham County Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it was "doing everything it could to keep disruption to a minimum".
In 2024, the authority said it hoped the bus station would be a major transport hub for the county and would attract more shoppers and tourists to the area.
The facility is on the site of the former bus station, which was demolished to make way for the redevelopment after becoming outdated.
It was designed to make more space for passengers, as well as increasing the reversing area for buses leaving bays and widening the exit onto North Road to improve visibility, with additional pedestrian access also created.
Elsewhere in County Durham, a new bus station opened in Bishop Auckland while work is ongoing to improve the existing facilities in Stanley.
