LYDNEY'S 'ugly duckling' derelict and boarded-up Hamms Road bus station is to be reborn as a 'transport hub' serving not just service buses but all forms of transport.

Out will go the old flat roof to be replaced by a pitched, tiled roof, and the façade will be transformed.

Last week planning permission was granted for a County Council scheme drawn up with Lydney Dial-a-Ride which will see it also become a shop and information point with a heated waiting room and public toilets.

"It will be a major staffed interchange point for the whole area and is an important part of a much wider scheme to improve the transport network in the Forest area," said Gloucestershire County Council urban transport manager Alan Barrett.

"Lydney Dial-a-Ride will be using the compound to base their vehicles and work on them, and there will be a ticket office and shop. As well as transforming and rejuvenating the building, local jobs will be created.

"The run-down property will become fully functional and a place of employment."

Forest transport campaigner Sue Dubois of Better Buses for the Dean said she welcomed the news and hoped it would be the start of better public transport services across the board.

"I also hope it brings us a brighter, better bus station!"

The plans are available on the Forest of Dean District Council website's planning section.