Photographic views for Bretonside bus station

One of the city’s key visitor gateways has been given a bright new look with the installation of high quality, wall-sized images of the waterfront and city centre at Bretonside bus station.

Photographs of Smeaton’s Tower on the Hoe, the Royal William Yard, the British Firework Championships viewed from Plymouth’s historic Barbican and Sutton Harbour, the West End and Drake Circus have been scaled up to give visitors a warm welcome to the city.

Funded by a partnership of Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and Plymouth City Centre Company and designed by waterfront businesses, the large pictures showcase key visitor locations to encourage increased footfall and include information on how long it takes to walk to each destination.

All of the images have been provided by local photographers and there is also a new city map and a new aerial view of the city provided by Plymouth Waterfront Partnership.

The wall visuals are the latest in a series of improvements to cleanliness and signage at Bretonside. Many areas of the bus station have been redecorated, new information and direction signs have been put up and pigeon roosting deterrents have been installed.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “Transforming Bretonside is a priority for the current administration and these are just some of the improvements we hope to make over the next few years. As one of our key visitor gateways, the bus station should provide a warm welcome to Plymouth and celebrate what Britain’s Ocean City has to offer. The visuals really brighten up the site and the new signage makes it easier for visitors to find their way around.”

Chris Arscott, Chairman of Plymouth Waterfront Partnership said: “Consistent with the imagery used within this year’s Plymouth Visitor Guide we’ve also recently developed, the visuals are designed to have impact and show visitors how quick and easy it is to move between the waterfront and the city centre.”

As well as showcasing iconic imagery of the waterfront area, the visuals support local independent traders by featuring the City Market in the West End of the city centre and also provide directional signposting to the City Museum and Plymouth University campus in Drake Circus.

Richard Davis, Chairman of City Centre Company said: “This project provides visitors with an important first impression of their stay in Plymouth, giving an immediate sense of what’s around them at this key gateway into our retail heart and waterfront locations.”

Duncan Currall, Chairman of Destination Plymouth said: “It’s great to see the investment at the city’s gateways to improve the welcome to our visitors. The images reinforce our key messages of Plymouth being a waterfront city with attractive places to see, prime locations easy to navigate around and a strong cultural offer.”

The Bretonside bus station work is part of a partnership programme to enhance the city’s visitor welcome, including the gateway signage recently unveiled on the A38.

The visuals were installed by local waterfront business Atlas Graphics.