I can't see too many people queueing up for tours of the car park and bus station. Just lots of expense for the City Council to keep people that have no connection with the city happy.Typing from Bath, the site of a particularly famous preserved but no longer fit for purpose relic of the past.
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Preston Bus Station to be demolished
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Whistler40145
Established Member
I think it's time for Preston Bus Station to go & be replaced with a more modern & manageable building, considering that the adjacent Guildhall Theatre may also be demolished.
If Preston City Council cannot afford it's upkeep, could you imagine if Stagecoach, John Fishwick's & others had to foot the bill?
I have seen better Bus Stations e.g. Lancaster, Chorley & others which on a larger scale would be suitable.
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If Preston City Council cannot afford it's upkeep, could you imagine if Stagecoach, John Fishwick's & others had to foot the bill?
I have seen better Bus Stations e.g. Lancaster, Chorley & others which on a larger scale would be suitable.
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Give it 2,000 years
. I'm sure 2,000 years ago people would never have expected people to fly from all over the world to see their bathroom facilities.You're running out of arguments aren't you.Give it 2,000 years
Or is this a strange attempt at humor? (It's not working)
The serious point is that much of Britain heritage was preserved by "chance" not design. In the case of Bath, the city was abandoned for a while as people moved back to the countryside. Many stone blocks were pinched from the centre for property elsewhere. People couldn't see the value of heritage at the time.
Likewise British Brutalist structures are endangered, with many being demolished year after year. I'm not arguing for all such buildings to be preserved, but certainly a period of British history, representing what is perhaps the closest we came to a revolution (the mass creation of new civic structures), with a distinct architecture should be preserved.
Note that people are now coming from all over the world to see a power station on London's Southbank! Perhaps not quite queueing up. (Sadly not listed, though Battersea is and is IMO the grander of the two power stations).
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
The only trouble is that it is usually "up north" where those art critics resident in London assume to be the best place to preserve them, in order not to offend the artistic sensibilities of the "Offended of Orpington" brigade.
I would disagree. Many of the buildings built by the more well-known of architects of that era, and hence which were listed sooner, tend to be big high profile housing schemes primarily in London (with some in our other cities), high profile civic buildings (again primarily in London) and universal departments/halls and residences (mostly Southern universities).
lancastrian
Member
I find it interesting that people are talking about preserving this pile of concrete and steel, that is called Preston Bus Station. I am old enough to remember its predecessor in Tithebarn Street. Not that there was much to commend it, but at least it did its job without great expense or having about a third of it closed off because it wasn't needed.
Some of the building that where knocked down to build the current pile and waste of space bus station where nothing to write home about either. So most of them needed getting rid of as much as the current bus station does.
All those who wish to see it get listed status, should contact English heritage and give them not only their name and address, but also sign up for a DD for the rest of their lives to pay the upkeep on the Preston Bus Station. If you want it saving, YOU should pay to look after it, not expect others to do so.
The great pity is that this eyesore is actually surrounded by some beautiful buildings. Such as the Harris Library and Museum, the Miller Arcade, St. John's Minster, the Post Office and even the Town Hall. All this bus station and to be honest the Guild Hall do is to make the town centre look dowdy and run down.
Preston CAN DO BETTER, but the first thing is to knock both the Bus Station and Guild Hall down. Then get a decent designer/architect to create a design that fits the surrounding. But not one of those supposed 'modernists' who have design such other eyesores as in glass and concrete that litter the Town and Cities of this country.
I include such building as the 'Shard' in that, it looks totally out of place. I acknowledge that these are personal opinions but they are just as valid as any other one.
What do you think a new building will be built out of, if not steel and concrete?
Here we have a new neo-Georgian shopping centre, which is simply set of steel reinforced concrete boxes with a facade.
Here we have a new neo-Georgian shopping centre, which is simply set of steel reinforced concrete boxes with a facade.
Good luck! I suspect you'll get a shopping centre and exposed bus station complex similar to those looking anywhere else in the country which no-one will care about in 4 years time.
tbtc
Veteran Member
Maybe the people of Preston could settle for having a bus station fit for purpose, rather than worrying about whether outsiders "care"?
robertclark125
Established Member
In an interesting twist to this situation, the council has admitted demolition of the Guild Hall is a possibility. If that's the case, and that's a big IF, then it throws open a possible new site for the bus station. All ifs and buts though.
lancastrian
Member
What do you think a new building will be built out of, if not steel and concrete?
Here we have a new neo-Georgian shopping centre, which is simply set of steel reinforced concrete boxes with a facade.
Good luck! I suspect you'll get a shopping centre and exposed bus station complex similar to those looking anywhere else in the country which no-one will care about in 4 years time.
Perhaps it will be built out of steel and concrete, BUT if the place I nice façade similar to what is shown in your picture, I for one would be very happy with that.
At least it would have a chance of fitting in with the rest of the building in the City Centre. Plus if the Guild Hall is demolished at the same time, the steps that stick out into Lancaster Road, half way across it can also be got rid of. They look totally out of place.
Well said. It's too easy to jump on a free bandwagon in the name of heritage.
Aside from architecture critics and a few bitchy ex-pats, I've seldom heard anyone give a second thought about Preston Bus Station, let alone compliment it as being an icon of Preston. Occasionally I've picked up people from outside town from the bus station, or heard opinions from people who have caught charter coaches there. Their comments describing the bus station have always been along the lines of depressing, embarrassing, cold, miserable, and ugly.
If they saw the council's plans for a replacement, they'd realise that what will replace it will leave them much more exposed to the elements (like most other bus stations in the country).
Nobody has been blessed with the council's plans. All we know is - smaller station, flat car park. It might be nothing more than a Burnley style squat block. It might be a Wigan style bunch of greenhouses.
Why, have you seen the plans? There are some good examples of enclosed bus stations in the north west, no reason why the County Council (who will be paying for the replacement) can't follow them.
Whatever happens, the users will certainly be less exposed financially.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
How many stances do you feel will be required in a new Preston bus station. Why should the shape of the new bus station be important to the running of the facility.
In the plans for the new bus station at Altrincham Interchange, there were fewer stances than in the previous bus station, but these would be expected to handle the same amount of traffic.
Class20
Member
How can you say that when no one knows what the replacement bus station will be like?
We know it'll be smaller and would have to be built at the lowest possible cost. That does not suggest to me any level of comfort for passengers.
Whilst some modern bus stations (such as Slough who managed to go from a crap dingy dark bus station to a crap one where you get wet when it rains and cold when it's windy but is nice and light) some such as those in West Yorkshire (Bradford/Leeds/Huddersfield/Keighley/Batley/Cleckheaton/Dewsbury/Wakefield) seem to be well constructed from a pasenger point of view.
To reprise Class20: How can you say that when no one knows what the replacement bus station will be like?
As it will be built at a smaller footprint at a lower cost. The consequences of such should make some factors about its constructive obvious.
But if one of the main problems of the bus station is it's too big for its purpose, surely a smaller bus station could work better (that's certainly what happened at Keighley - there is now no need to cross the road from the main shopping centre and only one road to cross from the main shopping street or supermarkets (previously 1 and 3 roads needed to be crossed)).
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Yes, it will be smaller.
If Blackburn can build an enclosed bus station for £5M I would hope LCC can come up with something suitable for Preston without excessive cost.
No one knows for sure at this stage, speculation like yours is just being obstructive to prove a point.
I'm not being obstructive to prove a point. I'm being steadfast, yes, and maybe passionate even.
We do know that the new station will be smaller, covering a smaller footprint, and built at a reduced budget. Given that the existing station has services from within and without Preston, and even for that matter within and without England, it can't be beyond the imagination of most to assume that the replacement must be unfit for maintaining the breadth of services and level of passenger comfort.
I don't see how that follows given that many of the current stands are unused.
Have you spoken to your local councillor to see what their views are and to make sure they know yours?
I know very well what my local councillors believe. One of them has referred to me as a "nerdy sociopath" and refuses to accept any of the points I have raised.
This issue goes straight to the heart of the governance of Preston. We have a ruling group who are, without a mandate, proposing to demolish the bus station, the Guild Hall, the markets and an office block. In all four cases, there is no adequate plans for replacement buildings - indeed, in the case of the markets, there is a proposal to move ALL market traders into a glass-box in the open air, regardless of whether they are selling meat or handbags.
- The design brief does not state that passengers must be kept warm.
- The costings do not allow for a more substantial structure than what might be seen at Blackburn.
The difference in price between a new bus station and refurbishment of the existing bus station would be £70 per person. So £1.75 per year over 40 years. That's equivalent to one two hour parking ticket in the station per year. Should the east side of Preston attract more people in the future such that more parking spaces are needed (and bear in mind that the car park's low occupancy is down to that side of the city centre being run down), I suspect the facility will pay for itself.
If the existing facility is refurbished, note that:
- the cost of refurbishment alone will be as large as a whole new bus station - i.e. you can expect high quality.
- of the £70 per person, £50 is to renew the whole building structure - i.e. you get to keep a car park that will probably cost more to replace, £20 is for new lifts and new car park barriers, which a new multi-story car park will require anyway
- half the number of stands will be removed, and new development built on the site. i.e. shops will connect directly to the stands. Only the stands on the east side will be kept.
- the new development between the existing structure and the rest of the town could be used for harmonisation, i.e. providing a transition between the 70s architecture and the surrounding architecture
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