“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.”

Since it was unveiled in 1969, the building, designed by Keith Ingham and
Charles Wilson and often described as the second biggest bus station in
Western Europe, has divided opinion.

A survey by the Lancashire Evening Post in 2010 suggested that it was the
Preston residents’ favourite building, but others have branded it an
eyesore. A poll carried out by The Telegraph last year suggested that
three-quarters of readers believe it is a “modern masterpiece” while a
quarter dismissed it as a “monstrosity”.

Following the announcement last month of six nominees for the 2013 Carbuncle
Cup, which recognises the worst new buildings around the country, several
readers claimed that Preston
Bus Station was in fact “Britain’s ugliest building”.

Other suggestions included Northampton Bus Station; shopping centres such as
St John’s Precinct in Liverpool, the Arndale in Manchester, and the
Cumbernauld in Scotland; Splashpoint, on the seafront in Worthing; and the
Arcelor Mittal Orbit in London.