Quick Facts

The campaign backed HM Government e-petition is here.

18/04/2013 Update: Preston City Council have made an application to English Heritage to block all further listing efforts, helping ensure that the council can achieve its goal of demolishing the current iconic building.

03/04/13 Update: The President of RIBA, The Royal Institute Of British Architects, has written to English Heritage supporting the listing efforts.

29/03/2013 The leader of Preston City Council, Labour Councillor Peter Rankin, has suggested that demolition will take place next summer

The latest news and updates are on the Facebook page.

Preston Bus Station:

The demolition of Preston Bus Station was announced on 7th December by Preston Council.

• £12.6m - 17.1m - the assumed cost of demolition and replacement (no developed plans for replacement) according to a report commissioned by Preston City Council - Jacobs Report
  
  
• £1.8m - the assumed cost of just the demolition, to be paid by Preston City Council - Jacobs Report
  
  
• £23m - 25m - the cost of a replacement bus station last time plans were fully developed - Source
  
  
• £17m - 23m - the assumed cost of refurbishment according to a report commissioned by Preston City Council in 2012 - Jacobs Report
  
  
  
• A few million - the cost of "converting" the bus station according to an interview with the leader of Preston City Council in 2011 - Source (5m 10s)
  
  
• £10m - 12m - the cost of refurbishment according to a councillor from Preston City Council in 2013 - Source
  
  
• £4m - the cost of refurbishment according to a "council report" in 2010 - Source,
  
  
• £84,610 - the profit that the bus station building made. One councillor, also a member of the council cabinet confirmed in Feb 2012 that the building is profitable.
  
  
• 17 - the number of times the word assume/assumed appears in the 34 pages of the Jacobs Report, the main document that the council uses to justify the desruction of the city's focal point.

And more facts:

• is used by an average of 56,000 people every day (figure by Preston Council).
• is a historic part of Preston. It was designed by a company founded in Preston which was started by a man born in Ashton.
• was built to last. It's flooring is made by Pirelli, the manufacturer of Formula 1 tyres. The woodwork throughout the bus station is the African hardwood iroko. The white tiling is made by Shaws of Darwen who look after the tiling on buildings around the world such as Harrods.
• has been under threat of demolition for over 10 years, even following the disastrous collapse of the failed £700m shopping scheme.
• is rated as the 2nd most popular building that its international designers have ever created.
• has been voted the most popular building in the city by residents.
• is a busy bus station with over 3,000 buses entering or leaving the main bus station on a weekday [Point 3.1.6 of Council commissioned report] including local, regional and national services as far as London & Glasgow
• has been placed on the Watch List of the World Monument Fund.
• has been put forward for listing TWICE by English Heritage and 20th Century Society – the listing was personally vetoed by two separate Culture Ministers.
• remains unmodernised, neglected and undermaintained 43 years after its publicly funded construction by its owners Preston City Council.
• is under threat of mothballing without replacement by Lancashire County Council.
• has been threatened with immediate demolition and replacement with a flat car park should the LibDems take control of Preston City Council.
• is a profit making building which not only generates a healthy bottom line whilst employing many and providing a vital public service but also contributes hundreds of thousands of pounds through business rates.
• has its own song and you'll find the lyrics here if you want a sing-a-long
• The Preston Passion could not have happened in Preston if it wasn't for the bus station.

A 1,435 signature petition (count verified by Preston Council) calling for a local referendum on the future of the station successfully forced city councillors to debate the issue – they rejected the request for a public vote.

Why only 1,435 signatures? This was slightly over the council mandated figure required to force councillors to debate the issue of a referendum. Once the target was reached the petition was handed in. Further signatures could have been collected if the petition had continued for longer than the few months that it ran.


This website is undergoing massive change at the moment but please take the time to visit the Facebook page and subscribe to the mailing list to be updated as soon as the site comes back online. Help show Preston City Council & Lancashire County Council how much this building is admired and how its continued use and modernisation would be an asset to the city and wider area.

The full version of this website will return soon.

The campaign to Save Preston Bus Station
will continue...