Gosport taxi rank to relocate as part of plans to create a new bus interchange

The new taxi rank and passenger drop-off, together with the provision of short-stay parking spaces on The Esplanade, will be in operation from Thursday, January 25. The existing taxi rank and parking spaces next to Falkland Gardens will close to traffic on the same day to enable construction of the new bus interchange.

A new shelter for the taxi rank will be installed in late February, whilst the final landscaping works will be undertaken later this year during the appropriate planting season. Temporary fencing will be placed around these areas until the landscaping works have been completed.

The move comes as part of a package of public transport improvements being delivered by Hampshire County Council, using funding from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund and a £700,000 contribution from Gosport Borough Council.

Key parts of the project include:

• The creation of a new bus interchange at the site of the existing Falkland Gardens short stay car park and drop-off/pick-up facility
• The relocation of the taxi rank and drop-off/ pick-up facility to the western part of the current bus station site, facing South Street
• Relocation of the short stay car park to the southern side of The Esplanade
• Changes to the road network, including the provision of a northbound link across the High Street, between North and South Cross Street, to create bus access to the new bus station, and to improve public transport access to the main Gosport retail area

Councillor Nick Adams-King, the county council’s cabinet lead member for universal services, said: “Having completed this stage of the Gosport Bus Interchange improvement scheme, work can now start on constructing the new bus interchange with the expectation of full completion later in the summer. We appreciate that the construction work is causing some local disruption, but this is unavoidable and we’re doing all that we can to minimise any inconvenience.

"I would like to thank everyone for their continued patience. Once finished, the result will be a package of improvements that will make it easier to travel around Gosport and beyond, by public transport, on foot or on a bicycle. This scheme will also unlock further planned redevelopment to support Gosport’s historic town centre and the economic vibrancy of the town.”

Work on the High Street, around the junction with North and South Cross Street, will continue through to the Summer. The overall project will deliver a modernised bus interchange and bring buses back into the town centre to provide easier connections with the Fareham to Gosport Eclipse bus service.