WW+P secures consent for new Hereford Transport Hub

The project embodies a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to design and placemaking, and represents the latest in a rich and diverse portfolio of transport infrastructure projects in the UK and globally. These include Paddington Elizabeth Line Station (winner of a 2024 RIBA regional award), a series of viaducts carrying the HS2 line between London and Birmingham, and an extension to the Melbourne Metro due to open in 2025.

Our new interchange and transport hub will act as a welcoming gateway for travellers to Hereford’s city centre, and has been designed to function as a safe and accessible forecourt to Hereford Station, with a focus on enabling seamless transfers between different modes of travel. As well as improving access to and use of Hereford Station, we have sought to celebrate the character and features of the Grade II Victorian building.

The new Hereford Transport Hub uses the public realm and landscaping as active design tools – turning what could otherwise have been a bleak expanse of hard surfacing into an attractive series of spaces to support transport connections and help people find their way around. Carefully curated planting and paving is used to frame spaces and routes, guiding travellers to their destination and segregating different zones across the forecourt to maintain clear lines of movement and support safety. Clearly delineated ‘zones’ include an outdoor ‘lunch spot’ outside the station entrance, and a ‘pocket green’ that provides a larger area for waiting, relaxation and events. Seating and cycle storage is integrated within the landscaping, and the extensive use of native and local plants supports biodiversity and enhances the setting of the historic building.

A key feature of the hub is a L-shaped shelter with a distinctive slim metal canopy, supported on slender steel columns. This 4.5 metre-high structure provides shelter for waiting bus passengers, and incorporates a waiting room, WCs and staff facilities. Positioned in the south-west corner of the new station forecourt, the canopy becomes a visual focus for the wider scheme, functions as a marker building for people approaching the station, and enhances visual connections to the station building.

In common with the practice’s transport infrastructure projects, we sustained a clear focus on improving the individual travellers experience. In Hereford, the interchange and transport hub design is informed by a comprehensive study of transport users and their routes – and responds to suit a range of different needs such as regional commuters, tourists heading for the city centre or students arriving for school. We also undertook detailed engagement throughout the design process with members of the public and a wide range of stakeholders including Network Rail and Transport for Wales.