A group of enthusiasts have met to discuss the future of Preston’s iconic bus station.
The talk, delivered by Dr Hannah Neate from the University of Central Lancashire, attracted scores of people.
It was part of Open to the Public, a project to get people talking about the best way empty buildings in Preston city centre can be used.
Artists Katja van Driel and Wouter Osterholt from Germany and Holland want people to come forward with fresh ideas for empty spaces.
They have made a map documenting the empty buildings which is in the Guild Hall Arcade and they are encouraging people to comment on their findings until Saturday.
Charles Quick, of In Certain Places, commissioners of the project said: “They (Katja and Wouter) spent time speaking to people and they realised that the bus station is quite an important talking point at the moment. They are running three talks, one of them about the bus station. “There was a short presentation and that instigated debate. There was a really nice cross section of people. There was a really interesting debate, not really with the aim of arriving at any particular conclusion.
“It brought a lot of very different people together with one very common interest. There were over 30 people there.”
Representatives from Gate 81 a project to see how the bus station can be used were also in attendance.
Gate 81 aims to get people to come up with ideas for the station using open, shared resources.
The talk was one of three events to be held this week in the Guild Hall Arcade.
Last night there was the film screening of Voices in the Community: Squatting and the Social Centre.
And tonight there will be a discission about Preston’s empty buildings with the council’s head of property management, Derek Woods.
Visit www.opentopublic.org for information.
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