Preston bus station revamp could begin in 2014

Author: Ashley Curtis - 10 January 2013

The demolition of Preston bus station could begin in 2014 but plans are still up in the air, admitted Preston Council's leader.

Reported by lep.co.uk, Councillor Peter Rankin met with the city's Business Improvement District (BID) to discuss the proposals but also outlined the financial peril that the local authority currently sits in.

At the moment, the bus station costs £300,000 a year to maintain while repairs would set the council back £1.4 million. Furthermore, the station would need an additional £5 million of investment. Overall, the cost of the plan could reach a potential £16 million.

Rankin described his decision to come up with a new bus station design and build the structure in principle as one of 'the most difficult he ever had to make'.

However, there are attempts to derail the project, he admitted.

"We have no idea on a timescale yet. It could be next year," he said. "But there could be a judicial review that could postpone that. I know there is an attempt to list the building and that could cause delays to put it mildly".

There have been two attempts to list the site by English Heritage and the Twentieth Century Society previously, but the culture secretary has personally vetoed the idea both times, reports guardian.co.uk.