Slough bus station to be brought back into use following fire

A bus station which suffered hundreds of thousands of pounds in damage due to a fire is set to be brought back into use.

Slough Borough Council (SBC) has brought together bus companies, designers, planners and insurance loss adjusters to deliver a restored and renovated bus station following a fire last year.

The fire started in the early hours of Saturday, October 29, and rendered the entire structure unusable and unsafe.

But three months on, the structure has been made safe and the open air land has been opened up for bus companies to use for parking.

A new group, led by the council, is now looking at how best to bring the building back into operational use again.

The work is likely to be carried out in two phases, with the first phase looking at the ‘head’.

The ‘head’ suffered minimal damage from the fire, but was unusable due to water and other damage, particularly to the electrics.

This phase would see the bus company offices reopen, alongside the rest rooms for drivers, the shop and public toilet.

The second phase will look at the ‘tail’ which took the brunt of the damage from the fire.

Cllr Mohammed Nazir, lead member for transport and the local environment, said: “The new group we have set up includes not only the bus companies but designers; all of whom bring expertise on the building itself but also on the operational efficiency of any proposals which come forward.

“Though our main aim is to bring the bus station back into use, we would be remiss if we didn’t consider making changes which may be better for both the bus companies and the thousands of residents who use local buses.

“The bus station is a unique structure, bespoke for the town and putting it right again is not as simple as just appointing a contractor and getting on with it.

“This is not necessarily a case of replacing like with like but finding the best solutions and working with stakeholders to implement them.”

The bus station remains closed currently and buses are continuing to use Wellington Street and Brunel Way as stopping places.