RESIDENTS in a Pendle town are being given a sneak preview of a new state-of-the-art £4.5 million bus and rail interchange before it is officially unveiled.

The development, in Nelson town centre, will be opened by the Mayor of Pendle Coun Shelagh Derwent, at 11.15am on Sunday, December 7.

But residents are being invited to have a look around the new facilities between 10am and 4pm on Saturday December 6.

A vintage bus will take guests from the old bus station, in Sagar Street and Broadway, to the modern fully glazed building off Railway Street and Broadway.

Once the interchange is opened, rail and bus users will be able to travel on both types of transport from one place.

Matthew Tomlinson, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for sustainable development, said: “This is a fantastic development for Nelson as it gives the town a flagship facility that will be the envy of many other towns in Lancashire and the northwest.”

The interchange, which is part of the town’s regeneration, is a joint scheme involving Lancashire County Council, Pendle Council and Pendle Partnership.

It will include a covered concourse leading to 10 bus stands, a direct link to the railway station, and a new passenger lift.