... but 3/4 of people don’t want to pay for it
Seventy per cent of Prestonians want to keep Preston’s iconic bus station, an Evening Post study has shown.
But, nearly three-quarters said they would not be willing to accept a rise in their council tax bill to foot the £23m cost the city’s council says is needed to restore it.
The city’s council has agreed to press ahead with plans to demolish the bus station which it claims costs it £300,000-a-year to maintain, a figure accepted by more than half of Prestonians.
Today, council leader Peter Rankin said the cash injection needed to the building was the major stumbling block.
He said: “I would like to keep the bus station but I cannot ignore the fact that it costs a lot of money the council cannot afford. We are trying to find a solution we are talking with people about it to try and find a way forward.”
He confirmed Town Hall officials had met with an unnamed “local businessman” interested in investing in the bus station before Christmas.
Coun Rankin said: “He is somebody who is seriously wealthy and has told us he is serious about wanting to invest in the building.
“There is a long way to go and we have to make sure any deal on the table will bring investment.”
The leader will appear before the council’s Overview and Scrutiny committee on Friday to explain the decision on the bus station and the proposals to demolish the existing Market Hall.
Committee chairman Ken Hudson said he wanted to ensure both decisions were “in the best interests of the taxpayers of Preston.”
He said: “We all understand the problems facing both these buildings but we want to make sure the council has a plan A and is capable of bringing that to fruition.”
The online poll, which attracted more than 500 responses, found 245 of the 548 respondents describe the building as a “fantastic icon” and an “architectural gem” with 140 saying it was “an ugly eyesore which needs demolishing.”
The majority - 385 votes - said they would like to see a new bus station built on the site if the demolition goes ahead with 61 per cent saying they would use a smaller terminal.
A further 168 people said they wanted leisure facilities on the site with 139 calling for a shopping centre and just 44 voting for new offices.
The poll also found more than a third - 36 per cent - only used the bus station monthly with 101 of the 548 respondents using it every day.
There was support for holding a referendum on the decision to demolish with 68 per cent supporting the idea, although the council rejected the idea of a public vote in February claiming it would cost £120,000 to stage.
John Wilson, a campaigner against the demolition, said the bus station and 1,100-space car park above makes the council £80,0000-a-year.
He said: “The facts are that Preston’s bus station is a public building which, in general, do not make money but this one does. It operates well as a bus station and car park and the results of this poll show the people of Preston think this as well.”
More than 70 businesses in the city will meet with Coun Rankin to discuss concerns around the proposed demolition at an event organised by the Preston Business Improvement District (BID) on Tuesday evening.
BID spokesman Mark Whittle said a number of traders had “issues” around the decision.
He said: “There are some people directly affected, some who are even within the building and others who want to know what will happen with regards bus provision in the city centre if the bus station goes.”
Do you agree Preston Council should demolish the bus station and car park?
YES: 164 (30%)
NO: 384 (70%)
Do you think Preston’s bus station operates well?
YES: 353 (64 per cent)
NO:195 (36 per cent)
How often do you use Preston bus station and car park?
Never: 106 (18 per cent)
Daily: 101 (18 per cent)
Weekly: 140 (25 per cent)
Monthly: 201 (36 per cent)
Is Preston’s bus station nationally and internationally recognised?
Fantastic icon: 254
Architectural gem: 254
Far too big for the city: 45
An ugly eyesore which needs demolishing: 140
Is Preston’s bus station nationally and internationally recognised?
YES: 403 (73 per cent)
NO: 145 (27 per cent)
Do you accept the bus station costs nearly £300,000-a-year to keep up?
YES: 286 (52 per cent)
NO: 262 (47 per cent)
Would you be willing to accept a 24% increase in city council tax precept to save the bus station?
YES: 142 (25 per cent)
NO: 406 (74 per cent)
Do you want a referendum on the decision to demolish Preston bus station?
YES: 374 (68 per cent)
NO: 174 (32 per cent)
Would you like an elected mayor for Preston to save the bus station from demolition?
YES: 333 (61 per cent)
NO: 215 (39 per cent)
What would you like to see built in place of Preston bus station, if it is demolished?
Shopping centre: 139
New bus station: 385
Leisure 168
Offices: 44
Would you use a smaller bus station?
YES: 333 (61 per cent)
NO: 215 (39 per cent)
* All figures rounded to the a nearest percentage point
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