LABOUR councillors in Crewe are pushing planners to kickstart the town's bus station redevelopment.

The politicians, who all sit on Cheshire East Council, are holding talks with the authority's planning officers tomorrow when they will be calling for an urgent start to revive the run-down interchange which forms part of the Royal Arcade redevelopment scheme.

Fears have grown over the future of the ambitious project, which is to incorporate an eight-screen cinema, bowling alley, gym and high-end retail shopping as well as the new bus station. To make way work demolishing the old Royal Arcade was to have started this spring after the council signed contracts last year with Peveril Securities.

Crewe's iconic clock tower would also come down as part of the scheme clearing Queensway and Victoria Street of 26 empty shops. But hoardings have remained around the site during the pandemic and no work has taken place.

Now the Labour councillors hope to discover a timetable after initially it was said a start would be made on building the new complex next summer.

Cllr Steve Hogben, who represents Crewe South, said: "The people of Crewe deserve a town centre that they can be proud of and frankly the continual delay to anything positive happening has only added to the feelings of scepticism and disappointment they rightly feel.

"This meeting must provide certainty about the future for Crewe with a timescale that will be kept to. If that does not happen then serious questions need to be asked."

And Crewe East councillor Suzanne Brookfield, added: "There is no reason why the people of Crewe should have to put up with this eyesore a moment longer. If we want more people coming into Crewe then we have to sort out the bus station as well as the much needed car parking review."

Cllr Joy Bratherton, who represents Crewe East, says she also wants answers about the schedule for the redevelopment of the town's Market Hall. Originally due to open this summer, she fears the impact of Covid-19 will have knocked the project off track.

Crewe South councillor Laura Smith played a role in the town's original application for The Future High Street Fund when she was Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich.

She said: "With the news of the Crewe Town Board being set up to oversee the Future High Streets bid and the Towns Fund bid it is essential as Crewe councillors we voice our residents' wishes and concerns over the development.

"Ten years of the government's austerity and cuts have ravaged our town centre. We must make sure the people of Crewe do not end up paying for the pandemic and they must not see further delay."