BusAndTrainUser Verify

Thursday 13th February 2025

Blog reader Geoff kindly drew my attention to a recent online news story in which Derbyshire Live, part of the Reach news group, used a clickbait headline implying all was not well for “a new Derby bus hub”. It’s not yet been built and is linked to the huge residential development comprising 2,750 new homes south east of Derby, at Boulton Moor.

The report states not only will the “transport hub … replace a scrapped …. park and ride scheme” but also “bus operators are … concerned … by diverting their services to serve the new hub”.

Further on the report adds “planning documents submitted by the applicant claim that so far Arriva is said to have resisted diverting its route from Chellaston Lane to serve the transport hub ‘to avoid any unnecessary delay'” but also quotes an Arriva Midlands spokesperson denying this, saying: “as the leading bus operator in Derby, we’re wholly supportive of plans to improve the existing bus stops on Chellaston Lane immediately adjacent the proposed Boulton Moor District Centre. The proposal includes the provision of new bus shelters, real-time passenger information displays and a signalised pedestrian crossing – and they’re all things which help make our customers’ journeys easier. These bus stops are already well-served every 20 minutes by our 1B service, which was introduced through the first phase of the Boulton Moor development.”

So far from being “concerned” as the opening paragraph of the news report suggested, Arriva are in fact “wholly supportive”.

Similar confusion arises with the response from Trentbarton/Kinchbus.

Derbyshire Live reports: “the applicants claim other operators such as Trentbarton are also said to potentially feel diverting into the transport hub would cause ‘unncessary delays’ and prove ‘detrimental’ in favour of retaining their existing stopping points – 400 metres from the hub.”.

But again it quotes a spokesperson for Trentbarton/Kinchbus, which operates the Skylink service along Shardlow Road to the north of the site, saying: “We were briefed in 2021 on the proposal for a transport hub but have not subsequently expressed any opinion on potential variations to Skylink Derby’s route. We are always happy to talk to councils and other stakeholders about our routes.”

So far from being “concerned”, Trenrtbarton/Kinchbus are “always happy to talk”.

Reading the online report it comes over the applicant behind the Boulton Moor District Centre might, perhaps, be reluctant to provide a “transport hub” by suggesting bus operators aren’t interested in serving it, when it would seem they do, or at least are interested enough to discuss it.

Maybe there’s some confusion as to what the purpose of the “transport hub” is? The news report comments that 30 car parking spaces will be provided protected by ANPR cameras. Whether this is a hangover from the old idea of establishing a Park and Ride site, I’m not sure, but 30 spaces seems irrelevant to a transport hub.

As I was in Derby last weekend I decided to pop down to Boulton Moor and take a look at what this is all about.

It’s located on the south eastern edge of Derby, west of the A6.

Boulton Moot has long been regarded as a “sustainable urban extension” of Derby being identified as such in the Local Plan by both the city and neighbouring South Derbyshire District Council, in whose area it lies.

Phase 1 of the huge development, known as BM1, is pretty much complete, as you can see by comparing the images in the original planning documents, above, and the recent Google satellite image, below. Its associated District Centre (with the controversial “transport hub”) to the south of Shardlow Road and west of the A6/B5010 roundabout, has yet to be built as have later phases known as BM2, BM3 and an area known as The Triangle.

Arriva reorganised its well established routes (1, 1A and 1C) serving the Alvaston area (north of Boulton Moor) on 31st August last year with routes 1A/1C continuing as a circular and a new route 1B every 20 minutes serving the newly constructed BM1 area, known as Buttercup Leys, then continuing westwards to do a loop in part of Challaston in the bottom left hand corner of the above and below images (which is also served by route 2A every 10 minutes). Route 1B is being funded by developer Section 106 contributions.

As you can see in the above image, route 1B passes close by the location of the proposed “transport hub”, and as the Arriva spokesperson observed, there should be no problem serving it. Here’s an outline plan of what the developers envisage for the District Centre. I’ve highlighted the “Transport Mobility Hub” including its 30 parking spaces as well as e-scooter/e-bike parking.

Other buildings in the District Centre include a combined electric vehicle and petrol filling station, a medium sized foodstore, two restaurants with “drive thru” capability, local retail outlets, car club spaces, children’s nursery, care home, assisted living accommodation, community building and 400 new homes. Work is underway constructing these facilities in the south of the area as you can see in the photo below I took from a 1B passing by.

New bus shelters and information in the “transport hub” will be an improvement to what new residents currently have available. That being no shelters, and in some cases, no timetable information.

The bus stop I used in the newly served section of route 1B did have a timetable but there was no shelter and no hard standing from which to board and alight the bus. The bus stop flag and timetable case have been added to a lamppost. It was the only bus stop on the circular section of route shown in the earlier image alongside the number “1B”. Other bus stops on Chellaston Lane have no timetables on display – the images I took as we passed by aren’t very clear due to the weather, but you get the idea.

Walking around the original part of Boulton Moor, the omens for good bus use aren’t very encouraging with driveways dominated by parked cars.

In the newer section now being served by the 1B there were less driveway spaces…

… but motorists always find a way of parking.

There’s some confusing information about where new route 1B actually goes. Arriva’s online map for routes 1A/1B/1C only shows the circular route of routes 1A/1C…

… and although the Derby network map shows the 1B it doesn’t show it continuing as far as Challaston which the timetable says it serves.

Trentbarton/Kinchbus’s Skylink (Derby-East Midlands Airport-Loughborough-Leicester) runs every 15 minutes along Shardlow Road with bus stops close to the junction with Chellaston Lane as shown on the earlier image in yellow. I can understand Trentbarton/Kinchbus keeping its powder dry’ on diverting into the “transport hub” as it will depend how easy it will be to slip into and out of it without being detrimental to a long inter-urban route.

But if Skylink buses are diverted into the “transport hub” together with Arriva’s 1B, potential passengers will have the choice of a frequent service into the city centre with the latter also offering longer distance travel opportunities.

But residents have got to get to the “transport hub” and some parts of the development are a long walk from a bus stop, as you can see from the earlier image and as I found on Saturday afternoon.

Let’s hope the developers plan for bus access into the District Centre before travel habits there are established as well as forthcoming developments in BM2 and BM3.

Roger French

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