Preston bus station protected by listing

CAMPAIGNERS have succeeded in saving Preston Bus Station after it was awarded grade II-listed status today.

The 1960s building has been threatened with demolition for sometime, initially to make way for the Tithebarn retail project.

When this failed the city council insisted demolition was the “only affordable and realistic option”, saying it would cost £23.1m to refurbish.

It wanted to replace it with a new transport hub at a cost of £10m-£15m. Council leader Peter Rankin said the council needed time to consider its options.

He said: “Obviously it’s not the outcome we were hoping for. We’ve always said the bus station is too big, provides relatively poor facilities for bus passengers and costs Preston taxpayers over £300,000 a year to maintain. We will have to take some time now to consider the listing decision and the options for moving forward.
 
“In particular, we need to look at costs and the impact on budgets and how it affects Preston taxpayers. We will work closely with Lancashire County Council as transport authority to consider the next steps.”  

Two previous attempts at a listing have failed but the latest, put forward by the Twentieth Century Society, contained new information on the building’s technological innovation.

Culture secretary Ed Vaizey said: “Preston bus station is a remarkably good example of integrated 1960s traffic planning that still functions as originally intended. It represents an important stage in the evolution of integrated design in England – pioneered by Building Design Partnership – with architecture, interior design, engineering, quantity surveying, landscaping, graphic and typographic design working to a common goal.

“The fitting out of the building survives well with original features such as floor finishes, signage and barriers making an important contribution to its aesthetic impact. I am very happy to end the uncertainty around the future of this building and accept the advice of English Heritage and give it the extra protection from demolition or redevelopment that listing provides.”