An impressive £150,000 makeover of the transport hub in the centre of Swanage in Dorset has finally arrived, making the concourse more accessible and safer for pedestrians.
Work on the Station Approach scheme, which has been years in the planning stages, started in January 2025 and now there’s only a few finishing touches still to be completed.
Dropped kerbs, tactile paving and a highlighted crossing point have improved pedestrian safety
Better defined pedestrian pathway
The big changes include narrowing the exit from Station Approach to slow traffic and reduce the hazard of drivers turning off the roundabout into the no entrance area, a better defined pedestrian pathway across the entrance to the Co-op car park, and more accessible footpaths with tactile paving.
The area between Swanage station, Swanage Medical Practice and the Co-op had been developed in stages over time, resulting in a variety of footpath surfaces and dropped kerbs that did not align.
A report in 2022, by highway consultants WSP found a number of safety issues:
“Overall, the pedestrian experience within Station Approach is very poor. With a hodgepodge of surface finishes, undulations, maintenance patching, trench reinstatements, and kerbline inconsistencies.
“General footway widths and routes are also substandard. Creating an uneven surface with many different textures and shades of material, without direct line of sight to required destinations.”
Tactile paving helps the partially sighted at crossing points where kerbs have been lowered for wheelchair users
Councillor Mike Bonfield says the area is much more accessible now that the Blue Badge spaces have been improved
“It’s hard trying to please everyone”
As the landowner it was down to Swanage Town Council to pay for the safety redesign, but it contracted the highways team at Dorset Council to undertake the work.
Swanage town councillor and chair of the community services committee Mike Bonfield said:
“This has been years in the making – I think we got the first reports in 2017 of how hazardous it was to try to get from Station Road to the Co-op if you were in a wheelchair or pushing a pram.
“We’ve worked hard to improve the safety for all pedestrians and those with disabilities, however we have been limited by what we could do. There’s only so much we could achieve in the space available but I feel we’ve done our best.
“It’s hard trying to please everyone, so I’d like to thank all the council staff and officers who worked hard to make it happen. I’d also like to thank the Co-op, as they really went out of their way to work with us, meaning we could minimise the disruption to pedestrians while the work was ongoing.”
Without moving the Blue Badge spaces on the right hand side, the pavenmnet couldn’t be widened on the left hand side to make more room round the bus shelters
Bus shelters are still tricky to navigate for pedestrians
Bus shelters couldn’t be repositioned
The main problem which could not be fixed as part of the work was the obstruction of the bus shelters along the footpath in front of Swanage station.
While planners came up with various options, they would only work if the Blue Badge parking bays for the medical practice on the opposite side were moved, allowing more space for the pavement with the bus shelters to be widened.
However the medical practice chose not to engage in the plans for the Station Approach redevelopment so that couldn’t be achieved.
In the end, the Blue Badge parking bays were improved by removing the kerbs, which now make it easier for anyone with mobility or sight issues.
Work started at the beginning of January 2025 but mainly took place overnight
The materials for the new road surface get delivered
Swanage town councillor Cliff Sutton hopes residents and visitors will appreciate the improvements
“A great improvement”
Swanage town councillor and chair of the traffic management committee Cliff Sutton said:
“This area gets very busy in the summer with vehicles, buses and taxis, and the bus and train passengers arriving in the town, plus shoppers heading in the other direction towards the Co-op.
“The plan was to create an easier, more clearly defined pedestrian route and I think that’s been achieved to the best of our ability.
“I think the biggest improvement is the narrowing of Station Approach’s exit, which makes it easier to cross by reducing the width of the road and by slowing the traffic.
“There’s also the tactile paving and highlighted crossing areas which encourage people to cross at the defined areas with dropped kerbs. I’m also pleased with the dotted white line across the entrance to Station Approach which is aimed at slowing vehicles as they turn in.
“It’s all looking much smarter and a great improvement for what is the entrance to the town for many visitors!”
Before and after photos
Before: Blue Badge users had to navigate a kerb
After: Blue Badge users will find that the road surface and pavement are level, with a bar to stop vehicles parking on the pavement
Before: Kerbs created trip hazards and vehicles were given priority
After: Pedestrians are given clear priority and it’s all on one level
Before: A ‘hodge podge’ of surfaces made the area unsightly and increased the trip hazard
After: The surface is now uniform and smooth, and the stop sign has been moved forward to make the no entry more visible for drivers
