Plans have been unveiled at the town hall this week for the new Keighley bus station.

And if planning councillors give it the green light building work could start in the autumn.

Graham Mitchell, from Keighley and District Travel, is delighted with the blueprint and says: "Hopefully, this should be better for both locals and visitors.

"The great advantage with Keighley bus station is that it's so central. Everybody wants to keep it like that."

The new bus station, which will completely replace the present terminus, will feature a covered concourse and a row of airport style gates, with waiting seats at each bay. There will also be a caf, toilets and a shop.

Mr Mitchell says: "All the buses will drive straight in and put their noses into the station and reverse off. They will come in from Cavendish Street and will all go out by Bow Street.

"It will be a lot safer because there will be no mixing of pedestrians and buses because you will not have to cross the tarmac to get to your bus stop."

Metro, the West Yorkshire bus authority, will install high tech equipment in the new bus station which could include talking information points, which have proved highly successful in Leeds bus station.

Deputy leader of Bradford council and Keighley councillor Barry Thorne says the new bus station is the best thing to happen to the town centre in years.

"After a lot of hard work from the town centre partnership it's great to see something happening. It will be a major boost for the town centre and the private sector will see all their investment come to fruition," he says.

A spokesman from Keighley's Town Centre Management says: "We know shoppers appreciate really attractive bus stations. Other nearby towns have already got them and we're pleased it's now Keighley's turn.

The architect's plan is open to public consultation until Friday, June 9, after which it will go before the Keighley area planning panel for discussion.

During the construction work, which is expected to last around six months, buses will use temporary stops in nearby streets. Keighley town centre managers say they will be working hard to keep disruption to a minimum.

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