AN agreement has been reached to redesign Yate’s much maligned new bus station, although it remains unclear who would fund the expensive renovation.

Since opening in January, the bus station has been highly criticised for being too small for the number of buses which use it and its canopy roof is said to provide no shelter from the elements.

Despite emergency meetings to improve the five-bay terminus on Link Road, it had appeared as though no improvements would be made. But now the Gazette understands that Tesco, which paid for the new station as part of the firm’s redevelopment of its shopping centre store, is keen to rebuild the waiting area as a permanent indoor shelter.

However, the supermarket chain faces a £40,000 to £60,000 bill, which would include relaying underground electrical cables which have only just been installed. South Gloucestershire Council, which granted planning permission for the canopy design, said it was unaware of any cost issues.

Town councillor Chris Willmore, who has been leading calls for an overhaul of the station, said: "As soon as it opened we held an emergency meeting with representatives from First Bus, the council, shopping centre owners Dominion and Tesco.

"Rather than focus on which of them was responsible for this mess, we urged them to focus on finding a solution. Tesco and Dominion were committed to getting a solution quickly. The council unfortunately started talking about the fact a change would need planning consent, which would take six to eight weeks."

She said she had demanded a solution and had appealed to the council to ‘cut through that bureaucracy’ for the benefit of passengers.

"We have been getting terrible complaints from elderly folk drenched to the skin waiting for the bus," said Cllr Willmore.

"Interactive bus signs should be here in April but we have warned the council that if they end up putting in that expensive technology before they have got the basics right, like shelter from the rain, they will have to account to the public.

"The public quite rightly want to be dry as their first step."

A spokeswoman for the council said there had been no communication with Tesco or shopping centre owners Dominion since the first emergency meeting.

She said: "A meeting was held with Tesco at the end of February when they agreed to come back with options for redesigning the shelters within the week.

"However, there has been no further communication from Tesco or Dominion, despite chasing, and therefore the council is unaware of any cost issues.

"The canopy design was always part of the original planning application, which was agreed in July 2009, following lengthy consultation."

No one from Tesco wanted to comment.