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|travelcentre=Yes
|travelcentre=Yes
|stands=80
|stands=80
|operators=[[Stagecoach in Preston]], [[Stagecoach in Lancashire]], [[Stagecoach in Lancaster]], [[John Fishwick & Sons]], [[Transdev Lancashire United]], [[Megabus (United Kingdom)|Megabus]], [[Blue Bus of Penwortham]], [[National Express]].
|operators=[[Preston Bus]], [[Stagecoach in Lancashire]], [[Stagecoach in Lancaster]], [[John Fishwick & Sons]], [[Transdev Lancashire United]], [[Megabus (United Kingdom)|Megabus]], [[Blue Bus of Penwortham]], [[National Express]].
|natexp=Yes
|natexp=Yes
|railstation= [[Preston railway station|Preston]] {{rail-interchange|gb|rail}} 800 m away
|railstation= [[Preston railway station|Preston]] {{rail-interchange|gb|rail}} 800 m away

Revision as of 09:39, 17 August 2013

Preston Bus interchange
General information
LocationPreston
Managed byPreston City Council
History
Opened12 October 1969
Location
Preston is located in Preston city centre
Preston
Preston Bus interchange
Location within Preston city centre

Preston Bus Station is the central bus terminus in the city of Preston in Lancashire, England.

Design

Built in the Brutalist architectural style between 1968 and 1969, designed by Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson of Building Design Partnership with E. H. Stazicker, it has a capacity of 80 double-decker buses, 40 along each side of the building. Some claim that it is the second largest bus station in Western Europe.[1] Pedestrian access to the Bus Station is through any of three subways, one of which links directly to the adjacent Guild Hall, while the design also incorporates a multi-storey car park of five floors with space for 1,100 cars. It has been described by The Twentieth Century Society as "one of the most significant Brutalist buildings in the UK".[2]

The building's engineers, Ove Arup and Partners, designed the distinctive curve of the car park balconies "after acceptable finishes to a vertical wall proved too expensive, contributing to the organic, sculptural nature of the building. The edges are functional, too, in that they protect car bumpers from crashing against a vertical wall. The cover balustrade protects passengers from the weather by allowing buses to penetrate beneath the lower parking floor." [3][4]

The distinctive curve of the car park balconies

Threatened demolition

The building was threatened with demolition as part of the City Council's Tithebarn redevelopment project. Although the Tithebarn development has now collapsed, there are still proposals to demolish the bus station and replace it with a small interchange near the railway station.

In 2000, opposition to the demolition led to a failed application for listed building status by English Heritage. Preston Borough Council (as it was then known) opposed the application.

Putting forward the case for a smaller terminus, a report, commissioned by the council and Grosvenor in 2000, stated that "buses arriving and leaving the bus station have very low bus occupancy rates indicating that passengers alight and board elsewhere in the town centre. The bus station car park similarly suffers from the poor pedestrian linkages." [5] Listing was subsequently rejected.[6]

A survey conducted by the Lancashire Evening Post in May 2010 found that Preston Bus Station was Preston people's favourite building.[7]

A further application to list the bus station was rejected in 2010 [8] and a review of the decision was turned down in 2011.[9] It featured on the 2012 World Monument Fund's list of sites at risk.[10][11]

In 2012, John Wilson of Fulwood in Preston and a member of the "Save Preston Bus Station" campaign presented a petition of 1435 signatures to Preston City Council calling for a referendum on the future of the bus station and argued that 80% of Preston people surveyed supported keeping the bus station and investing in it. Councillors voted to reject a referendum, with only 1 councillor, Terry Cartwright of Deepdale ward voting in favour.[12]

On 7 December 2012, Preston City Council announced that the bus station would be demolished.[13] They said that it would cost £23m to refurbish it and more than £5m just to keep it standing; although they also conceded that demolition would cost an estimated £1.8m. The Twentieth Century Society, which opposes the scheme, have stated that a fraction of this amount would maintain the building while proposals to retain it were being worked up.[2]

Media appearances

The station featured in a song on the children's show All Over the Place[14]

On Good Friday 2012, the bus station was the venue for the Preston Passion, a passion play involving thousands of people forming a 'human cross', televised live on BBC Television.[15]

On 6 March 2013, the bus station was featured on the BBC Daily Politics programme, focusing on the 'Save Preston Bus Station' campaign.

References

  1. ^ "Second-best city". Lancashire Evening Post. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  2. ^ a b "Twentieth Century Society deplores Preston bus station demolition plans". Twentieth Century Society. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Keith Ingham for Building Design Partnership. Ove Arup and Partners, Structural Engineers. 1967". Retrieved 2007-01-31.[dead link]
  4. ^ "Risky Buildings Transport". The Twentieth Century Society. 2006. Archived from the original on 22 June 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  5. ^ "Preston Town Centre Analysis Précis document" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  6. ^ "Department of Culture, Media and Sport: Minister's Decision on Central Bus Station and Car Park, Preston". The Save Preston Bus Station Campaign. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  7. ^ "Preston's Favourite Building", Lancashire Evening Post, 17 May 2010
  8. ^ "Preston bus station will not be listed". Lancashire Evening Post. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  9. ^ "Preston bus station to be bulldozed". Lancashire Evening Post. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  10. ^ "Preston bus station on UK monument 'at risk' list". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  11. ^ "British Brutalism-World Monuments Fund". Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  12. ^ "Plea over bus station falls flat - News - Lancashire Evening Post". Lep.co.uk. 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  13. ^ "Bus station to be bulldozed - Traffic & Travel - Lancashire Evening Post". Lep.co.uk. 2012-12-07. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
  14. ^ "CBBC - All Over the Place". BBC. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
  15. ^ http://www.lep.co.uk/news/opinion_2_1845/passion_play_will_make_shining_star_of_station_1_4073247
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Preston bus station.
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