Geograph - photograph every grid square

If you are wondering why this once lovely 1930s Art Deco building now has a general air of decrepitude, with its sagging gutters and flashings, boarded up windows, tatty signs relating to its former heyday, and ugly concrete barriers, I've given part of the explanation below.

Other photos of Hexham's old bus station are at Link.


The Hexham Town Plan 2013 – 2018

The plan included the redevelopment of the bus station on the same site Link (Archive Link ) [p21]:
"2.4. Transport: Resulting Areas for Action 2013 to 2018
2.4.1 An upgraded and improved Bus Station.
Work with Northumberland County Council and potential developers is required to realise a scheme for the redevelopment of the bus station and its immediate vicinity. The project will include a direct pedestrian link from Marks & Spencer to the back of the bus station, and remodelling the pickup, drop-off and waiting areas to make them much more attractive to passengers and operationally more efficient."


Petition re Hexham bus station

At the end of December 2013, a councillor presented a petition to Northumberland County Council (NCC) objecting to the proposed sale of the bus station. The report on that petition Link (Archive Link ) said that "discussions took place at the NCC in 2011-12 regarding options for the future of Hexham Bus Station, including possible relocation to a site at Loosing Hill, some distance from the Town Centre. On 5 March 2012, the NCC Executive endorsed the retention of the bus stop [sic] on its current site".

However, it also confirmed that "the NCC Policy Board meeting in February 2014 would be considering a proposal to seek authority for the County Council to enter into an agreement for the sale of its interest in Hexham bus station, and to seek in principle approval for the relocation of the existing bus station facility [sic]".


Dysart

Then the development company "Dysart" Link emerged from the shadows.


Northumberland County Council votes for Hexham bus station sale to go ahead

Despite a 2,500 signature petition in 2011 demanding that the bus station be retained on its existing site, Northumberland County Council's policy board, meeting in private in February 2014, voted unanimously to enter into an exclusivity agreement for the sale of the authority's interest in Hexham bus station to property developer Dysart, which owned some property around the site, and approved, in principle, the relocation of the existing bus facilities Link (Archive Link ) .

The company planned to develop flats on the land, with bus stops to be created on Priestpopple (the main street). The NCC claimed that "A development scheme on the site has the potential to enhance the town centre and support the regeneration of the area, including creating over 220 jobs, 150 construction jobs and injecting over £3.3m annually into the local economy through additional salary income."

They also said that "There was an appreciation that the people of Hexham do not like the [NCC's] preferred option" – but we're going to go ahead anyway [I said that].


Hexham residents stage bus station demo against plans which will be 'bad for pensioners'.

A survey was organised in which 4,000 people took part, with the result that more than 95% favoured keeping the bus station where it was.

In June 2014 the NCC announced the results of a study it had commissioned into eight possible options for the development of a new station put forward by Hexham Town Council. The NCC named Loosing Hill as its preferred location and said plans would be drawn up. A consultation event was organised for July.

Then in August 2014, the good burghers of Hexham took to the streets. Around 40 Hexham residents, many elderly users of the facility, and traders marched through the town carrying placards in protest at Northumberland County Council’s plans Link (Archive Link ) .


Controversial Hexham bus station relocation plans are lodged

In July 2015, a planning application was submitted for the controversial plan to move the bus station to a site at Loosing Hill, proposing a new station building with modern facilities for users including an enclosed waiting area, toilets and refreshment facilities Link.

If approved by the NCC's planning team, the council hoped construction would begin before the end of the year [ie 2015 – I have vague memories of 2015: there was a refugee crisis in Europe, ISIS terrorists struck on three continents, negotiations on Iran's nuclear program produced a deal, the EU rebuffed Greece's demand for austerity relief, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal was finalised, Russia intervened in Syria, the Paris Accord on Climate Change was agreed, China devalued its currency against the dollar, China also built islands in the South China Sea, Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen Link ... and Sepp Blatter was elected to a fifth term as president of FIFA]. The NCC aimed to have the new bus station open by summer 2016 [I have vague memories of 2016 ... ], and then the existing site would be sold to Dysart.


All systems go for bus station

Just a few weeks later, towards the end of August 2015, the hopes of objectors to the long-anticipated scheme to redevelop Hexham bus station were raised when it was confirmed that a planning application for part of the site had been withdrawn Link.

The longstanding application to convert the ramshackle, but Grade II listed, Ropery building at the rear of the bus station NY9363 : The Old Ropery and NY9363 : The Old Ropery (2) into six houses was submitted in 2013, but was abruptly removed from the planning list, at the developer's request.

However, celebrations were short-lived, when it became clear that developers Dysart were only replacing that application with a new one for the 200-year-old listed building.

Instead of six houses, the new design submitted was for five houses and a shop – and the scheme formed only a small part of the long awaited application by Dysart to convert the old Hexham bus station and its environs into a £13m shops and offices complex. As well as the demolition and reconstruction of the Ropery, the application also included the demolition of the rear of no. 17 Priestpopple, as well as the old Abbey Press building, Nicky Westgate's photography studio, and the existing 1930s bus station building.

The old buildings would be replaced by a three-storey development of 32 apartments, most with balconies overlooking the town centre. Each flat would have its own undercroft parking facilities, to iron out the difference in levels between the front and back of the Priestpopple site. The scheme also included the creation of seven shops, with a total sales area of almost 2,700 square metres, and Dysart CLAIMED [ha! - see below] that it already had a number of "blue chip" high street big names expressing an interest in occupying the shops. Central to the scheme was a walkway which meandered through the centre of the development, giving direct and convenient access for the first time to Marks & Spencer and the proposed B&M development.


Dysart Developments - Hexham Bus Station Development

In early September, Mike Clark, the Development Director at Dysart Developments Ltd, announced that "a planning application had been submitted by Dysart Developments Ltd for the redevelopment of Hexham Bus Station site. [It was a] major regeneration scheme that would produce 2,700 sq m of new retail/commercial space, 31 apartments and 5 affordable housing units. [It was a] fabulous scheme that would really improve and enhance that area of the town" Link.


Hexham's Old Bus Station to go

In November 2015, Nicholson Nairn Architects proudly announced that their "scheme for the development of new retail and residential units at the site of Hexham's old bus station has been unanimously approved by Northumberland County Council. The group of councillors also voted in the majority to delist and demolish the previously listed ropery building. Work should commence after the new bus station on Loosing Hill designed by +3 Architecture opens. We envisage work should start in the Spring of 2017" Link (Archive Link ) [I have vague memories of the spring of 2017 ... ].


Work about to start on redevelopment of Hexham's old bus station site

At the end of November 2015, the Hexham Courant confidently reported that "In a double-decker boost for Hexham [ho, ho, ho] the building of the new bus station at Loosing Hill has released the old site on Priestpopple as a prime development opportunity in the town centre" Link. And that "After getting the green light from planners over 12 months ago for a shops and homes development in the heart of Hexham, officials at Consett-based Dysart Developments are poised and ready to take possession of the old bus station site."

But "with archaeological studies and a full site survey yet to be commissioned, development director at Dysart, Mike Clark, believes a March 2019 completion date is realistic. At the time of the planning application we estimated March 2018 for completion, but the reality is, we're not likely to take possession of the site now until the new year," he explained.


£13m [bus] station scheme grinds to a halt

But by July 2017, eight months after Hexham's new flagship bus station had opened at Loosing Hill - see NY9363 : Ceci n'est pas une horloge and Link - a slump in demand for brand new retail units in the heart of Hexham had brought progress on the planned multi-million pound town centre redevelopment to a standstill Link. Dysart's development director, Mike Clark, insisted that the company remained committed to delivering the £13m scheme to transform the former bus station site – despite the company being "yet to identify the extent of the retail demand for Hexham". WHAT!!!!! He went on "To be frank, the response from retailers hasn't been as fruitful as we'd hoped [HOPED?????] and we've now commissioned agents to carry out some in- depth research into that for us."

What exactly happened to the "'blue chip' high street big names" that had "expressed an interest in occupying the shops" in August 2015 (above)?


Dysart slammed for Hexham bus station redevelopment delay

In October 2017, Hexham Town Council said that Dysart, the developers responsible for delays to the long-awaited, multi-million pound scheme to redevelop the former Hexham bus station site should be asked to attend a [Town Council] meeting and explain its plans as a matter of urgency, because "Dysart told us last time they came to council that the development would be completed by autumn 2018. Obviously that is not going to be the case" Link.


Hexham's old bus station opened for car parking

A month or so later in early November 2017, nothing had been heard from Dysart. But every cloud has a silver lining because the continuing delays with the redevelopment led to an early Christmas present for shoppers and workers in the town, with the NCC making a deal with Dysart to use the site to provide 27 temporary car parking spaces until the longer-term development plans for the site were taken forward Link.

NCC staff cleared the site to remove the overgrown vegetation, took off the existing road markings, swept the site, and painted new parking bay lines, after which the bays became available for what the council described as "informal parking" [ie no-one has a clue what the parking rules and regulations are].

Don't start me on parking in Hexham NY9364 : SNOT FAIR, SNOT FAIR, NY9364 : “Multi-coloured mayhem” (© The Hexham Courant), NY9364 : If you’re not completely confused, you obviously don’t know what’s going on around here and NY9364 : Hello again, happy parkers. Nothing's changed. If you want to park all day in Hexham, get there before 8:15.


Dysart's commitment to former Hexham Bus Station redevelopment

Later in November 2017, Dysart reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the former Hexham bus station site on Priestpopple is redeveloped, but Mike Clark said: "The market in Hexham is not as buoyant as we had hoped [HOPED????? – we all live in ******* hope]. We have agents building up a portfolio of interested parties and we're in conversation with the local authority and "Arch" [a wholly owned development arm of the NCC – see below] to make sure we produce something which is complementary to the town" Link.

I would have been slightly more impressed if Dysart hadn't been "poised and ready to take possession of the old bus station site" two years earlier in November 2015 (above).


Public paid for Arch trips to French Riveria

Arch is currently mired in its own controversy, with evidence having been uncovered of thousands of pounds worth of public money being squandered on extravagant hospitality, including regular trips to an influential property conference on the French Riviera Link.

Arch has been the subject of scrutiny since the May 2017 election and was the focus of a damning urgent report presented to the authority's audit committee. Delegates from Arch, along with a string of invited advisors and guests, are understood to have been regular attendees at the Le marche international des professionels de l'immobilier (MIPIM), an international real estate event in Cannes Link which hit the national headlines after it became mired in allegations, of sexism, drunken behaviour and prostitution in the lead-up to the 2018 event in March.

Seven trips to the annual event in Cannes, and subsidiary events held in the UK, since 2014 have cost Northumberland's council tax payers more than £73,000 – with no evidence found of the evaluation of the benefits. The money spent includes covering the cost of first class travel and accommodation for members of the Arch board and elected members of the county council, as well as high cost meals and alcoholic beverages which sometimes amounted to £200 per head. On one occasion, travel and accommodation costs were in excess of £13,000, which was lost after the Arch Group made the booking with a company, which later turned out to be fraudulent. And there is evidence that in 2017, a driver from a Bedlington-based taxi firm was flown to Nice in France and provided with a vehicle and accommodation for the purposes of transporting the delegates attending the MIPIM conference. In addition to the money spent at the MIPIM events, the report details "significant expenditure" on the Arch Group credit card between April 2016 and June 2017. It includes £1,000 spent on a leaving event for the former chief executive of the Arch Group at a Newcastle hotel, which was cancelled when it was too late to recover any costs; £6,000 on annual Arch Group Christmas parties; £3,000 on Christmas parties for Arch contractors at Ashington Football Club; and £3,500 on travel, accommodation and hospitality for a trip to a sporting event at Wembley by members of the Arch board.

Corbridge's Councillor Nick Oliver, portfolio holder for corporate services at the council, said: "Unfortunately this is the tip of the iceberg. These bad practices appear to have been endemic and we cannot comment any further on many of these issues because they remain subject to police investigation."

Update November 2018: Two years after NY9363 : The new Loosing Hill bus station opened, the Hexham Courant reported that "a multi-million pound plan is being finalised which will breathe new life into the abandoned site [of the old bus station]. Northumberland County Council ... was in the final stages of negotiations with site owners Dysart [who had been sold the site by, er ... Northumberland County Council for a £13 million shops and apartments redevelopment - see above] to buy back the site" Link.

Update November 2019: Another year on, Northumberland County Council had wanted to create housing for the elderly, retail units and parking as part of a regeneration, but they failed to agree terms with the owners of the site and ... the old bus station is still there and the site is still being used for "informal parking" (see above).

Update November 2020: Another year on, and ... the old bus station is still there and the site is still being used for "informal parking" (see above).

Update November 2021: Another year on, and ... the site has been put on the market for £1.5 million, but remains unsold, the old bus station is still there, and the site is still being used for "informal parking" (see above). But Northumberland County Council has apparently now allocated £5 million to be spent in their capital programme for the regeneration of Hexham town centre, including the [old] bus station site; this money is in addition to the £2.4 million Heritage Action Zone funding that has already been secured. Link.

Update November 2022: Yet another year on ...

Update November 2023: And another year on (ie 7 so far since the new bus station opened) ... "Frustration grows as Hexham's former bus station still up for sale" according to the Hexham Courant Link which says that the site is now being advertised on Savilles [sic - possibly Savills, an estate agent, although the "For Sale" board is that of youngsRPS Link ] but with no price to view. Instead on the information package it said 'offers Invited by Noon Wednesday, November 8 2023.'

Update December 2023: The Mayor of Hexham, Cllr Derek Kennedy, has criticised the developer, Dysart, in the Hexham Courant over "the 'bombsite' bus station land in the town centre" Link. He says that "Dysart haven't even done a tidying up exercise, they've just left things falling apart and in an absolute mess". Dysart of course blames Northumberland County Council. And so it goes.

Update February 2024: (1) Hexham Town Council have called for urgent action to fix the former bus station, after branding it a 'bomb site' that was 'impinging on the amenities of the local area'. A town councillor said that "The old bus station had been sitting in a state of disrepair for the last seven years. At the moment, it is covered in glass, beer cans, tree shoots, and ripped posters. It's an embarrassment to the town". A spokesperson for Northumberland County Council said: "We are continuing to seek a long-term future for the site, and bring forward a high quality redevelopment scheme. We are investigating all options to help this happen as quickly as possible" Link. We'll all be holding our breath on that one. (2) A week later, Dysart said that "Hope remains that the situation can finally be resolved ... Indeed we are conscious the town needs quality developments in its centre as befits somewhere with the heritage of Hexham". It's just that we haven't actually done anything about it for the past 7 years (I said that). Link.

Update November 2024: At the end of October, Hexham residents and councillors served a Section 215 notice on Dysart, requiring them to clean up the 'neglected eyesore'. Mike Clark, the development director of Dysart (remember him, well, fortunately he's still around) said "It is heartening to see the passion the local people have for improvements to the town and we accept that the redevelopment of the [old] bus station area would indeed be a benefit". Link . Such insight, such empathy. Clearly someone who cares deeply about Hexham and has its best interests at heart.