23 Sep 2013, 14:31
Simon Donohue
Preston’s iconic bus station has been approved for grade
2-listed status as a building of ‘significant architectural and
historic interest’ by culture minister Ed Vaizey, meaning that
it is unlikely that it will now be demolished.
Preston City Council took an ‘in principal’ decision to
demolish Preston Bus Station in December 2012, citing high annual
maintenance costs and capital investment requirements of between
£17m and £23m to bring it up to modern standards.
Campaigners have been fighting for more than a decade for the
building to be listed.
The concrete structure was designed in a British Brutalist syle
by Manchester architectural practice BDP in the 1960s.
A spokesman for English Heritage, which advises Government on
the criteria for listed buildings, said it falls to local planning
authorities to decide any application for demolition of a grade
2-listed building.
It is not clear whether a local authority would be able to
approve the demolition of a grade 2-listed building it also owns.
Cllr Peter Rankin, leader of Preston City Council, said:
“Obviously it’s not the outcome we were hoping for.
We’ve always said the bus station is too big, provides
relatively poor facilities for bus passengers and costs Preston
taxpayers over £300,000 a year to maintain.
“We will have to take some time now to consider the listing
decision and the options for moving forward.
“In particular, we need to look at costs and the impact on
budgets and how it affects Preston taxpayers. We will work closely
with Lancashire County Council as transport authority to consider
the next steps.”
English Heritage had twice before recommended that the bus
station, which has been under threat for more than 12 years, be
given listed status.
Applications were turned down by the secretaries of state in
2000 and 2009.
Fresh hopes were raised for the station’s survival after the
collapse of the £700m, Lend Lease-backed Tithebarn shopping
scheme in 2011.
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