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Bus Station’s soaring cost
YOU will have to pay for a third if Tithebarn gets go-ahead
Preston’s new bus station will now cost up to £25m – and taxpayers will pick up a third of the bill.
County Council officers now believe the cost of a new station on the corner of Church Street and Manchester Road – part of the city’s proposed Tithebarn regeneration – stands at between £23-25m.
Three years ago it was estimated the cost would be £15-17m until the design of the building was altered. Preston Council officers meanwhile said last year bringing the current facility up to scratch would cost just £4m.
Developers Lend Lease have said they do not want to pick up the tab for the new station, warning that the rest of the Tithebarn scheme would be “financially compromised”.
Instead, county council chiefs are now proposing that £7.5m of the authority’s money is pumped into the project – despite the fact budgets could be squeezed in coming years.
Another £10m would come from the North West Development Agency (NWDA), funded indirectly by taxpayers. The remainder would be covered by the developers, with Preston Council and others also contributing.
The proposals will be discussed by the county council’s cabinet later this week.
But the news sparked anger among city heritage groups today - especially as a campaign is ongoing to retain the current bus station.
Aidan Turner-Bishop, of the 20th Century Society, which has attempted twice to have the current bus station listed, said: “At a time when we know there are Government cuts coming it seems crazy to knock down a good but neglected building and then spend double or three times as much building a smaller one which is not as good.
“They are just not thinking about people and passengers, they are thinking about money, property developers and making a profit.”
A Preston Council report released in December last year, as the Government was considering the listing bid, estimated it would cost just £4m to bring the current bus station up to standard. But Coun Anthony Gornall, Preston Council’s regeneration chief, said: “The bus station area is central to the Tithebarn development and that is why it really needs to be relocated.
“£4m is probably a conservative estimate. It is a 1960s concrete structure and renovating them is very expensive.
“We have an enormous bus station in Preston which is not used to its full potential and never will be used to its full potential. I think it could be better placed than it is presently.”
Frank McKenna, of private business lobby group Downtown Preston in Business, told the Evening Post this week the bus station should be demolished regardless of whether Tithebarn goes ahead.
He added: “You have got to look long term. £25m is a lot of money, particularly in the current economic climate, but that bus station is standing in the way of a potential £700m development.
“If you look at the business case and the strategic vision rather than simply looking at what money you are going to have to pay out tomorrow, I think it is a great return.”
A report to LCC’s cabinet said: “The total cost of the proposed facility, including the cost of land acquisition, is likely to be in the region of £23-25m.
“It should be noted that the developer has consistently taken the view that the whole redevelopment scheme for the Tithebarn area would be financially compromised should he be required to meet all or a significant part of the cost of providing a replacement bus station.”
The council admits it does not know when the £7.5m would have to be pumped in because of uncertainty surrounding the Tithebarn scheme.
But the report adds: “It would appear highly unlikely to be a commitment before the 2012/13 financial year at the earliest. If supported by cabinet this project would be first call against the council’s available capital resources for 2012/13 to 2014/15.”
The council admits that would “reduce flexibility” to support other priorities over this period and that “the financial landscape facing the county council over the next three years suggests that capital resources are likely to be significantly reduced.”
The report suggests that £2.5m a year would be contributed between 2012/13 and 2014/15 and that the council’s contribution would be limited to £7.5m.
But it warns: “Without a financial contribution from the county council towards the cost of a replacement bus station in Preston, there is a high risk that the regeneration of Preston city centre will not be financially viable for the developer. This could lead to cancellation of the project even if planning consent is obtained following the public inquiry.”
A spokesman for Lend Lease said they did not wish to comment.
LCC leader County Coun Geoff Driver said: “The debate as to whether we should be keeping the bus station, either in its present form or upgraded at a cost of £4m, we have had. We have decided that the Tithebarn scheme should go ahead.
“That requires the bus station to be relocated.
“The three party leaders (at LCC) signed a letter saying we were in support of Tithebarn and we were preared to put our money where our mouth was.”
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Tuesday 07 February 2012
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Comments
There are 24 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
Diesel10
Monday, May 17, 2010 at 06:31 AM"with your condescending remarks about Primark." ??!?!? LOL Are you kidding, what bit of Jonh being condescending towards Primark don't you like - the fact they cater for a throwaway society, the fact they let those on low incomes spend their cash on 'clothes' which will last weeks before they need to buy more or the fact they use underpaid forgien workers to produce their rags? Primark makes money, and lots of it, by abusing the poorest on just about every level. Things I would have thought you'd be up all night blogging about.
River
Friday, May 14, 2010 at 03:23 PMYou're a lovely man Jonh, I think there's plenty of evidence to show that bus users are not valued in this city - the decades long neglect of our bus station, the way Stagecoach was allowed to monopolise services, the cutbacks in routes and the price hikes, the attempts to make our existing bus station look as ugly as possible, and now the attempt not only to downgrade our bus station and locate it in Manchester Road, but to make us pay for the privilege, when at 20% of the cost, we could revamp our existing station to 21st Century standards. The people who make these plans and decisions don't use buses, and show the same contempt for ordinary Preston people that you do, with your condescending remarks about Primark.
Preston lass
Friday, May 14, 2010 at 01:45 PMNevertheless, it would be interesting to know how much money the architects, planners, etc have made out of it, regardless of whether it goes ahead. The whole idea was flawed - as River correctly says, it was never planned with bus users in mind. A big mistake. Go to any thriving large city and you will find people queing up to use an efficient bus service with prices much lower than in Preston. University cities usually are noted for the number of bicyles either parked or being ridden. Bring the open air outdoor market back to its hey day, spend the millions of pounds avallabe on an absolute fantastic museum with free entry, and people will once more flock to Preston for a day out.
Grinds My Gears
Friday, May 14, 2010 at 11:58 AMI didn't even bother to read the article, why worry about something that's not been built and probably never will.
jonh
Friday, May 14, 2010 at 10:57 AM"the kind of people Tithebarn is for don't use buses. Those of us who do use buses are no longer welcome in our own city centre." God, you are such a moron. I have never read such retarded rubbish since the last time I read something written by you. Cancel Tithebarn, Primark is the highest aim of this "city" LOL!!!!!!!
River
Friday, May 14, 2010 at 12:03 AMPreston Lass, the kind of people Tithebarn is for don't use buses. Those of us who do use buses are no longer welcome in our own city centre.
Preston lass
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 11:58 PMPreston Council's regeneration chief said "The bus station area is central to the Tithebarn development and that is why it really needs to be relocated" ??? Surely this is exactly why it needs to be left where it is, so that people coming in to the town (er I mean city) can alight the bus in the heart of the city.
River
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 11:53 PMI've written a blog post about this entitled "Preston Bus Station: Why should we pay more for less?" You can read it by cutandpasting this URL into your browser: http:riversstream.blogspot.com201005preston-bus-station-why-should-we-pay.html
Diesel10
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 10:24 PM"they are thinking about money, property developers and making a profit.” I wonder how people who think like this get on in life! However, its OK saying renovate the old dump (I mean bus station) but when it is renovated at a fraction of the cost and is a fantastic 'transport hub' with great facilities and less chance of getting mown down where are the people using it going to go? Poundland, Greggs, Homebargains? Preston needs more than a big concrete bus depot it needs the millionaires and investors to make it grow, develop and cease to be a down-trodden, faded, dirty post-industrial northern town. The new design looks crap though - that house has more about it on Hill Road.
brown envelope
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 08:47 PMPlease dont let these half wits in suits pull this building down, the new shops can go anywhere!
brown envelope
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 08:47 PMPlease dont let these half wits in suits pull this building down, the new shops can go anywhere!
brown envelope
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 08:46 PMStart typing your comment here:
brown envelope
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 08:46 PMStart typing your comment here:
brown envelope
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 08:46 PMThe old bus station could be with a bit of attention, not vandalism from the present owners be a very special building. This could be achieved with a buget far smaller than any new bus station, with the old bus station being a real organised transport hub for our region. The only thing thats mssing is a tram link to the train station.
Never say Die!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 07:33 PMI find it difficult to believe the pre-fabricated shed shown in the photo is going to cost £25,000,000! Get another quote!
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