The continuing campaign to save the seemingly doomed 1960s Preston Bus Station and Car Park has moved to the mainstream national press.

On 11 December an article in The Telegraph newspaper pointed out that the Bus Station was hailed as an “architectural triumph” and an outstanding example of post-war brutalist architecture. It also reminds people that ‘it is one of the few massive transport hubs that still survive in Britain’.

The article goes on to repeat the claims that the iconic building is too expensive to carry out a full refurbishment and it is cheaper to demolish it. Claims that are disputed by campaigners who are trying to save the bus station.

The paper quotes leader of Preston Council, Peter Rankin, (who has also commented on a previous Blog Preston post about the building) who states that the ‘local authority could not afford the £23 million it would cost to repair on top of almost £300,000 in running costs’. Peter says the council has looked at a refurbishment of the current building but the costs involved are prohibitive so the best value for the taxpayers would be to demolish the old building and build a new ‘fit-for purpose bus station’ on the site.

Clare Price, a conservation adviser at the 20th Century Society, is quoted as saying ‘The bus station is a huge statement of what can be achieved in concrete and it’s one of the few transport interchanges that still survives. One by one they’ve been demolished. It’s one of the most impressive civic buildings of its time and we think it’s one of the most important examples of its style in the country.’

The building was featured on the 2012 World Monument Fund’s list of sites at risk.

The news article also carries a poll which asks ‘Is Preston Bus Station worth saving?’. Currently the response is running at 77% yes and 23% no.

See the full article here: Conservationists fight to save iconic Preston Bus Station

What are your thoughts on the demolition of the Bus Station? How would you vote in the ‘Is Preston Bus Station worth saving’ poll? Let us know in the comments below.