Huge controversy has been unleashed in the last 24 hours about the future of Preston Bus Station.

Paul D Swarbrick is a great believer in accepting that you cannot afford what you cannot afford. However, here are some questions Paul thinks we need to ask on this issue:

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1) How much will it cost to demolish the present station and rebuild a new, smaller station and how good would it look?

2) Can the present bus station not be redeveloped for a fraction of the cost of demolition and rebuild? Ben Casey now working for ‘The Chase’ had a superb plan for the bus station. The rear side to be remodelled as a single sided bus station and the front side (facing Tithebarn Street) to be remodelled as retail outlets etc. The majority of the car park to remain.

3) Are we just to believe what we are being told by the council about the prohibitive costs of the bus stations upkeep?

4) Do we know exactly what the income revenue is? such as car park fees, retail rents and rates and other income which may be not immediately apparent.

5) How on earth would the bus station traffic be handled whilst the Preston bus station was demolished and rebuilt? There is an immense amount of daily bus movement and I fail to see where anyone could find an area within the city with the capacity to be able to cope successfully with all that.

5) It appears that the council have had an intense propensity to demolish the bus station for quite a while now. Do we need to wonder if there is a hidden motive for such a burning desire to make it happen?

6) So many unforgivable mistakes have been made in the past in just arbitrarily sweeping away some of Preston’s finest architecture. Should we continue this stupidity or should we learn lessons from it?

Well, that’s my input on the subject and after all, it is only my point of view. However, one thing is for certain and that is, we must be absolutely sure that we know all the facts, true statistics and real reasons for any demolition of the bus station that the council desires before it becomes too late, as it has been in the past.

It is a very complex issue and therefore needs to be considered with great care and caution.

Lets try and look at these issues and answer the questions.

What do you think about the demolition of Preston Bus Station? Should it be Saved? let us know in the comments below