Cheltenham’s £33 million Transport Hub

Sunday 16th June 2024

I’d read about Gloucestershire Council’s plans to spend £33 million on a Transport Hub at Arle Court in Cheltenham, so while I was wandering around the country on my recent Rail Rover I stopped off to take a look.

Don’t be misled by any hype surrounding the term ‘Transport Hub”.

Basically this is a new four storey 860 space multi storey car park alongside the existing 576 space surface car park, on the western outskirts of Cheltenham on the A40.

I took a ride on the existing 20 minute frequency Monday to Saturday Park & Ride bus route to visit the site and was taken aback at the sheer scale of the development. I reckon the architects are aiming for this year’s Turner Prize for the Most Aesthetically Pleasing Multi Storey Car Park.

It looks like no expense has been spared in designing and building this car park, aka ‘Transport Hub’.

The project was originally bound up with, and financially linked to, proposals to improve junction 10 on the M5 to the north west of the town; the idea being to facilitate new housing in that area, but it was subsequently decoupled from that more complex project to enable a quicker delivery.

In any event the Park & Ride site is located closer to junction 11 to the south west of the town so it made sense to treat it as a separate project.

Funding for the scheme is coming from the last Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), as well as the Council itself, as the idea continues to be to unlock new housing and economic development without adding to the town’s transport challenges.

The new Transport Hub will include a well appointed internal waiting area within the building, toilets, a customer information desk, café, drivers rest room and real time screens. Obviously the Hub also includes some cycle stands and “improved walking links” as it’s all about “Active Travel” these days.

It all sounds good, but a reality check might be needed when it comes to a customer information desk and café.

I’m not clear what’s planned for the existing surface car park and assume it will continue and supplement the new facility making for a mega car park.

There should be no talk of a “war on motorists” in Cheltenham after all this.

The Council’s laudable aim is to encourage more journeys by sustainable modes into central Cheltenham, the railway station, local hospitals and to/from Gloucester.

There’s currently no direct bus service from the site to the rather inconveniently located Cheltenham Spa railway station but the Stagecoach operated 20 minute frequency Park & Ride is joined by the Pulhams operated half hourly (Mondays to Fridays) route 99, which links Cheltenham with the site and Gloucester including that city’s Royal Hospital.

Construction of highway and enabling works at the site began in June 2022 being completed in March 2023. Construction of the Hub itself then commenced last May with a stated completion this summer, however it now looks like it’ll open in November.

That’s because back in March the Council issued invitations to bus operators to tender for the “enhanced” bus service with a commencing date in November.

In that context I should disclose I also visited Cheltenham to take a ride on the Stagecoach operated Park & Ride bus route because it uses the number 100 as I was intending to feature it as the next entry in my fortnightly series.

But it turned out to be a rather unremarkable travel experience (six people travelled out to Arle Court and two back to the town centre on a mid afternoon journey) so I’ve decided to make a return visit in November, once the new Hub is open, snd take another look as that should make for a fitting finale to the series.

Hopefully it’ll open on time.

Roger French

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