Preston’s Council Leader gave us his version of the Bus Station Blues on the BBC Culture Show last week. It seems it will be knocked down on the altar of day to day council services and pressure from Lancashire County Council.
If you want to get depressed take a walk from the unloved Bus Station into the Guild Hall Arcade and the Victorian Covered Market. These buildings all look like time is not on their side.
Also there are a lot of cars on the Bus Station. Will the Park and Ride on Bluebell Way take the strain. It’s a long way out, what is the plan.
You might wonder how accountable Lancashire County Council (LCC) is when they can happily offer a new bus station and let Preston’s Council take the blame for knocking down the old one. Although Preston’s leader said no-one from outside Preston should have a say, it seems LCC is having a big say.
Stoke’s £15m Bus Station opens 1st April 2013
Could LCC offer anything like Stoke’s £15m new Bus Station with 22 bays, half of Preston’s need. Built on a car park so no demolition cost involved. Yet the cost of Preston’s new bus station, which will be twice as big and include demolition won’t be much different.
Is there a message here that Preston is going to get a second rate bus station, a bus shelter perhaps with an Eaga Bites van parked at the entrance. What does this say about Preston?