WEST Croydon bus station will close this weekend for at least 15 months as it is redeveloped.
The plans for the station, which is used by around eight million passengers a year, are a joint project between Croydon Council and Transport for London.
But the works, which start on Saturday (October 4), are not scheduled to end until early 2016.
There was staff at the station handing out leaflets informing passengers of the delays this week but many were mystified as to why they knew nothing of the closure until now.
Jean Saunders, 77, from Carshalton, said: "I use the station almost every day but haven't heard anything about this until now.
"I think that's awful. I hope it makes the place look better but I've never seen any bus station that looks like a castle."
Most buses that usually stop at the terminal will now stop at the bus stop after while buses that usually terminate there will stop at St Michael's Road, a two minute walk away.
The station is receiving the revamp as part of the Connected Croydon urban realm development programme, a £50million programme of high street, public space and transport works for Croydon town centre.
Stuart Collins, councillor for Broad Green, thinks the improvements will be worth the wait.
"The problem is, it's a massive development," he said.
"I would rather they did it properly and made it a fantastic resource that would lead to the revival of the area rather than do it piecemeal, which often causes more chaos.
"As long as they get it right it will be worth any inconvenience the work may cause for a couple of years. Doing it well is more important than half-measures which keep part of it running.
"I can understand why people will be concerned because it's a long time, but this development is a big step to ensuring West Croydon is no longer the poor relation of East Croydon when it comes to investment."
The designs for the new bus station will see more lighting and a more spacious environment, as well as more CCTV coverage.
The bus station was built in 1983 and is used by approximately 150 buses an hour.
TfL and the council anticipate the Croydon Partnership's regeneration of the town will cause a passenger increase of 20 per cent at the bus stop.
