New bus scheme to boost tourism

Top-level talks are under way to introduce a novel scheme to boost tourism in Saddleworth.

An experiment to provide a special tourist bus to ferry visitors between Uppermill, Greenfield station and Dovestone, is expected to launch next summer.

Saddleworth Parish Council, Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership are meeting to prepare a blueprint.

This will reflect the work completed by members of the Parish Council during the past year in compiling a Parish Plan, which is scheduled to be published later this month.

The publication is timed to lock in to ambitious modifications planned by the RSPB for the Dovestone area.

Their massive investment will include new facilities at the beauty spot and the appointment of eco-friendly teams to encourage visitors.

Tourism was one of the key issues identified in a survey among 12,000 Saddleworth households for the Parish Plan.

Fifty-seven per cent of respondents supported a Park and Ride Tourism Bus service from Greenfield station and Dovestone Reservoir.

Now the proposal will be put before the Parish Council at the end of November and be presented to the District Partnership next month.

Other countryside beauty spots across the UK have launched similar schemes with buses which are seen as a key way to encourage more visitors to areas without bringing cars.

Saddleworth has a huge influx of visitors during the summer months, with many attending high-profile shows and sporting events in the area in addition to sampling the countryside vistas.

Royce Franklin, Chair of the Parish Council’s Transport and Traffic sub-committee, said: “Initially, the bus would only be experimental. But, if it proved successful, an expansion would be considered for future years.

“The plan would involve a bus at weekends and on August Bank Holiday stretching over a 14-week period.

“It is hoped the plan will materialise, but funding will have to be sought.

“If it is accepted, it would be seen as a potential boost to tourism and go a long way to solving the parking problem at Dovestone.

“Currently there are 129 spaces at the reservoir, insufficient for the vast number of people who use the facility throughout the year particularly during the summer months.”

Councillor Richard Knowles, a transport expert who lives in Greenfield, said: “The special bus is a really good idea.

“It will make this area of the Peak District National Park more accessible, particularly for people without cars.”

And Oldham lawyer John Ainley, director of next years’ Saddleworth Summer Show, which is hosted by Saddleworth and Oldham Metro Rotary Clubs, said: “The bus would certainly encourage more visitors to the area and could boost attendances at local events during the summer.”