Helston has been given its first look at what two new bus shelters for Coinagehall Street will look like.

The Packet can exclusively reveal the design for the shelters, which have at long last been given approval by the conservation officer, which in turn has led to planning permission being granted.

The project has been stymied for years due to strict rules over what can be placed in the conservation area of the town centre.

Now the shelter pictured, called the “Stanhope” design from the company Broxap, has been approved. One of the shelters should look almost identical, with the second slightly smaller and without the glass sides.

Residents of the town have been clamouring for the shelters for coming close to a decade.

Due to the unusual and specific nature of the design, the two bus shelters will cost in the region of £20,000 to buy and install, for the pair.

Last week Helston’s town councillors were asked to decide how they would like to pay for the shelters, with clerk Chris Dawson giving three options.

These are to use general reserves (of which the council has approximately £90,000), to use the “supermarket” section 106 money set aside for public realm work of which there is £250,000, or the “supermarket” money in the town centre management budget.

He reminded members that the Helston Business Improvement Partnership had returned an amount larger than that to this third budget, after deciding not to continue with their plan for a dedicated office in the town centre.

Deputy mayor, Mark Upton, believed the project should be funded from reserves so as not to take from the HBIP pot, but former mayor Jonathan Radford-Gaby argued: “I would personally like members to be aware that the Helston Business Improvement Partnership is not the only body that can spend that money.”

It was agreed the shelters should be funded from the town centre management budget.
Councillor Justine Hornsby had initially suggested that until the ongoing public realm consultation on future developments in the town had ended the shelters should be put on hold, as it was not known what changes might take place in Coinagehall Street.

However, after hearing the argument from Mr Upton that if the location for the shelters was changed then the council would have to reapply for planning permission, she declared herself “swayed.” It followed reassurance from town centre regeneration officer Martin Searle that the shelters could be moved “at a reasonable cost” should the need arise.

The debate stemmed from a request by councillor Martine Knight, to “discuss how to progress the matter of the two bus shelters.”