New and better local bus services for Colne - Nelson - Brierfield?

12.02.19pm GMT Sun 6th Jan 2008

Leading Pendle Councillors have revealed that they are involved in discussions to improve the local town bus services in Colne, Nelson and Brierfield.

The proposals have been put together by Lancashire County council public transport staff. They involve combining the existing LCC-supported town services with extra services negotiated by Colne and District Councillors under the planning permission for the new Boundary Mill store at Vivary Way, Colne.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Tony Greaves said that along with colleagues Councillors David Foster, Howard Thomas and Graham Roach he had met the LCC staff and a representative of Boundary Mill.

Councillor Tony Greaves said: "There is also some other 'planning gain' money to put into the pot from developments at Corporation Street and elsewhere, and it makes sense to put all the resources together to provide one improved service rather than lots of different ones competing against each other."

"The final pattern of services will depend on the costings but we are confident that there will be real improvements to these local services." Proposals under discussion include:

• The Colne Town Services (at present services 14 and 15 on two loops round the Horsfield and North Valley areas) will run for much longer hours starting at around 7.30 or 8 o'clock in the morning and running until around 8pm at night.

• They will all run through via Colne town centre to the new Boundary Mill store and from there via Regent Street to and from Nelson.

• Alkincoats will again get a regular bus service.

• The Hodge House area of Nelson will be served by the new services alternately via either Regent Street or Cravendale Avenue, replacing the present much poorer service.

• Some of the buses to Nelson will be extended to provide an hourly service to Brierfield centre via Chapelhouse Road and Mansfield Grove.

• For the first time there will be a Sunday service, hourly between about 9am to 6pm, from Colne bus station via the North Valley estate to the new Boundary Mill store and from there via Regent Street to Nelson bus station,.

Councillor Tony Greaves stressed that all these proposals are still at the discussion stage, but he was confident that they would form the basis of the final services. Once they are agreed, the funding means that they will be virtually guaranteed for the next five years.

Tony Greaves said: "This is really very exciting. At a time when bus services are being cut back all over the place, we are looking forward to some very real improvements to the town services.

"As someone who (as a local County Councillor) was closely involved in setting up the existing town bus services just over 20 years ago, I am thrilled that we are now talking about improving them once more, and that Boundary Mill, LCC and Pendle Councillors are working together in this way."

Councillor David Foster, Chairman of Pendle Council's Nelson Committee, said: "We owe a debt of gratitude to our colleagues in Colne for negotiating the funding from the new stores etc. The new services will be a real benefit to people in these parts of Nelson and Brierfield."

The largest source of funding will come from the new Boundary Mill store, which will be served by a half-hourly bus service to both Colne and Nelson. It is likely that the services will be provided by a new fleet of buses which will carry Boundary Mill branding as well as Lancashire County Council and Pendle Council.

The operator will be chosen following a tendering exercise carried out by LCC.