Officials have said that the work to improve Salisbury Railway Station Forecourt will improve the interchange from rail to bus transport.

Representatives of Milestone Infrastructure and Wiltshire Council gathered in the empty retail space alongside the Salisbury Railway Station foyer to speak with members of the public at a “Meet the Contractor” event.

The five-hour drop-in session from 2pm to 7pm on Tuesday, April 16 was organised to answer people's questions and address concerns with the year-long project on the station forecourt that is due to begin as early as Tuesday, May 7.

The works will take place in three phases to allow continued access to the railway station as works are performed in other areas.

The money to be spent on the project is part of the £9.4m acquired by Wiltshire Council from the central government through the Future High Streets Fund, which also paid for the Fisherton Gateway project.

During the project, the northern entrance of the railway station is due to be reopened temporarily for passengers as works on the forecourt are carried out.

Parking will be removed from the station forecourt during the project, with the exception of eight accessible spaces.

Replacement parking is planned to be provided at the Eastern Good Yards site on Fisherton Street next to the Royal Mail Sorting office once planning permission has been obtained.

SEE ALSO: Former Salisbury Journal reporter on life as a prepper in rural France

Paul Shaddock, senior traffic engineer at Wiltshire Council, said one long-awaited improvement is a more convenient interchange from rail to bus transport for passengers, with the new interchange providing three bus stops.

Paul said: “At the moment the current situation is you kind of have to walk down and under the railway bridge to get the bus rather than use a taxi.”

Wiltshire Creative chair Doric Bossom said his organisation does not foresee any disruption to people coming into Salisbury for cultural events during the project.

Doric added that he looks forward to seeing the improvements both at the station forecourt and on Fisherton Street.

He said: “If you have any involvement in the town of Salisbury, you have to look at the arrivals’ experience here and the walk down Fisherton Street and say- this could be better. This is not impressive, this is not befitting of a city of our historic relevance.

“Any money spent improving the infrastructure of Salisbury is a good thing.”