Preston bus station

Preston Bus Station is the central bus terminus in the city of Preston in Lancashire, England.

Design

Built in the Brutalist architectural style between 1968 and 1969, designed by Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson of Building Design Partnership with E. H. Stazicker, it has a capacity of 80 double-decker buses. Some claim that it is the second largest bus station in Western Europe. Pedestrian access to the Bus Station is through any of three subways while the design also incorporates a multi-storey car park of five floors with space for 1,100 cars.

The building's engineers, Ove Arup and Partners, designed the distinctive curve of the car park balconies "after acceptable finishes to a vertical wall proved too expensive, contributing to the organic, sculptural nature of the building. The edges are functional, too, in that they protect car bumpers from crashing against a vertical wall. The cover balustrade protects passengers from the weather by allowing buses to penetrate beneath the lower parking floor."

Threatened demolition

The building is threatened with demolition as part of the City Council's Tithebarn redevelopment project. In 2000, opposition to the demolition led to a failed application for listed building status by English Heritage. Preston Borough Council (as it was then known) opposed the application.

Putting forward the case for a smaller terminus, a report, commissioned by the council and Grosvenor in...
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