Dewsbury Bus Station Regeneration Project

A small group of our student leadership team and Kirklees Youth Councillors were given the opportunity to visit Dewsbury Bus Station to see the plans for its £13.9m regeneration and to contribute their ideas to the development of the Bus Station. The students listened to a talk about employment within the areas of architecture, construction and civil engineering from Jacobs, the company contracted to design and build the new Bus Station, followed by a talk about personal safety when using the bus station and public transport. Students then found out more about the plans for the bus station from West Yorkshire Combined Authority and were particularly interested in how it will become a sustainable environment. Finally, Manor Croft students were asked to share their own thoughts and ideas on how the bus station could be improved. One student was able to give valuable feedback on how the environment would impact on those with hearing impairments and this information is going to be taken back to the designers along with other suggestions from the students.

We have received some delightful feedback from the organisers of the visit who have complimented the excellent behaviour of our students and the fantastic ideas they contributed. They are keen to continue working with the school on this and future projects.

Evie-Mae wrote:

As someone who uses the bus station every day, I am beyond grateful to have gone on such a beneficial trip. It was extremely interesting to learn about all the exciting new plans going ahead to transform our bus station into a safer place for all of its users. I particularly enjoyed speaking to the two women from West Yorkshire Combined Authority who spoke to us about personal safety. Whenever I now use the bus station, I have felt as though a weight’s been, lifted off my shoulders! I now know about the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme, and all I need to do is go to a security guard and ask to speak to Angela if I ever feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed.

We ended the day with writing on sticky notes things that would make us use buses more. I guarantee all our ideas will be taken into consideration. Ever since I became a Kirklees Youth Councillor I have felt heard wherever we go as a team. I am looking forward to seeing the bus station’s transformation in the future.