£23m plan for Preston Bus Station
LANCASHIRE County Council has unveiled a £23m plan for Preston Bus Station which will see part of it becoming a Youth Zone.
It said it will become a “catalyst for regeneration”, while preserving the building’s celebrated brutalist architecture.
Several years ago Preston City Council complained it was too expensive to run and wanted to tear it down, but campaigners secured listed building status and it has been transferred to Lancashire County Council.
It is now working with the Youth Zone charity which has a network of centres across the North West and is also planning a new one in Warrington at the former Mr Smith’s nightclub building.
Around £7.4m will be spent creating a new 36-bay bus station and four-bay coach park on the side of the building facing Ringway, while the side of the building facing the city will be used by the Youth Zone. The smaller bus and coach facilities will take up around half of the inside of the ground floor of the building.
The youth club will be funded with £5m from the council and £1m from Youth Zone. A further £2m will be spent develop the apron on the Guild Hall side next to the Youth Zone into a public area. The 1,100-space multi-storey car park above the bus station will be repaired at a cost of £6.4m, and £1.5m will be spent on roads around the station.
Council leader Jennifer Mein said: “These proposals not only secure the bus station’s future, they represent a major investment in young people, transport and the regeneration of the city centre. We aim to breathe new life into the building and the space outside, making it a far more welcoming gateway to Preston.
“Much has been made of the historic place of the bus station but these proposals show how we intend to make the building a valuable part of Preston’s future.”
