Member Article

Preston bus station saved - with £8 million investment to assure future

The future of Preston Bus Station is set to be guaranteed thanks to a deal between Preston City Council and Lancashire County Council.

Subject to agreement at the Councils’ Cabinet meetings on 5 December, the deal is also set to unlock £8.3m of investment into the Grade II listed bus station.

Keeping the building in public ownership, allowing Lancashire County Council as transport authority to invest in the building and improve facilities for passengers, as well as easing the City Council’s financial situation are all key aspects of the deal.

Welcoming the report to the Council’s Cabinet, Councillor Peter Rankin, Leader of Preston City Council, said:

“This is the best possible outcome for Preston and Lancashire, as the bus station is an important transport hub for the county.

“The deal will put to rest any doubt whatsoever over Preston Bus Station. The building’s future will be 100% guaranteed. In fact, the County Council will be able to invest in the building to improve the facilities for the thousands of people that use it every day. We have always wanted a bus station fit for the 21st century. The transfer will take us towards that goal.

“This, I know, will be very much welcomed by the people of Preston. So too will the fact that the City Council will no longer have to find the money to run the building which, given the savage budget cuts imposed on Preston, was a significant financial strain for the City Council. Lancashire County Council simply has the scale, expertise and resources to manage such a large building.

“I’ve always understood people’s passion for Preston Bus Station and can see why many people want to keep it. Our past decision to demolish was purely a financial one. As a City Council, we couldn’t afford to either invest or indeed keep the building open.

“I am both relieved and delighted that the County Council is set to take the building on and secure the future of Preston Bus Station for the people of Preston and Lancashire.”

County Councillor John Fillis, Cabinet member for highways and transport, said:

“The listing decision made it clear that the bus station is here to stay and we have to be pragmatic about how we create the most sustainable future for the building, which is why our officers have worked with Preston’s to draft these proposals. “The arguments in favour of the transfer of the bus station are that, as the strategic transport authority for Lancashire, we have the experience and expertise gained from running other public transport hubs and would be better placed to make the bus station work. “We also have the financial resources to attract additional funding and ensure that we could invest in the fabric of the building to provide a much better experience for the people who use it. “We are committed to making sure that the bus station and the car park both work as well as they can and will also explore other ways in which we can make the best use of what is an iconic building at the heart of Preston. Improvements to the bus station will be key to our wider plans to work with Preston City Council to regenerate this part of the city centre.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .