A new £1.8million coach park has been opened at the Odd Down Park & Ride in Bath, as part of the ongoing redevelopment project of the former Avon Street site for the Bath Quays scheme.
An Odd Down Park & Ride bus | © Geof Sheppard (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Coach companies are now able to park-up in the long-stay facility, which has 29 coach parking spaces and toilet facilities within Park & Ride site.
Coaches bringing visitors to the city for more than a couple of hours can park up at the Odd Down coach park, providing a convenient and secure place, while reducing vehicles parking in unofficial locations on roads around the city.
The opening of the site is part of a phased approach for the long-term management of coaches in Bath city centre, supporting Bath and North East Somerset Council’s intentions to alleviate congestion and improve air quality in the city centre.
The new coach park has been funded by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership through the Local Growth Fund, administered by the West of England Combined Authority.
Work on the site was carried out by North Midland Construction.
Historically, coach parking was provided at Riverside Coach Park, however the site was reduced in size in 2016 and changed to drop-off/pick-up only, to allow flood risk mitigation works to be undertaken in order to protect properties from flooding and facilitate the regeneration of Bath Quays.
Councillor Tim Warren, council leader, said: “Providing a dedicated coach park with good driver facilities is good news for coach companies and means Bath city centre remains an attractive tourist destination while also alleviating coach parking in roads around the city.”
Councillor Mark Shelford, cabinet member for transport and environment, added: “The dedicated coach park also contributes to our commitment for clean air in the city and is part of a package of measures we have for a cleaner and greener Bath.”
Tim Bowles, Mayor of the West of England, said: “We’re very pleased to support the completion of the impressive long-stay coach parking facilities at Odd Down.
“This new coach park will support Bath’s visitor economy, whilst also reducing the impact on the road network by freeing up space in the city.
“As well as providing immediate benefits for residents and visitors, relocating the coach parking is another step closer to delivering Bath Quays – helping Bath to prepare for the growth of businesses in the city.”
The coach park will be closed for general use during the Bath Christmas Market, as it will used as a pre-booked layover location.
