Artist impression of how the Bus Station’s western edge may look Pic: Cassidy+Ashton/Lancashire County Council

New designs for the western edge of Preston’s grade-II listed Bus Station have been unveiled.

Lancashire County Council has tabled amended proposals for the area after plans for the Preston Youth Zone were withdrawn.

The area of open space running between the St John’s Shopping Centre and the Bus Station will become an ‘urban park’, costing around £2.75million.

Previous plans outlined how the area could host live music events and more outdoor events, and this scheme will now run the full length of the western edge of the building.

The county council has also included bringing back the part-closure of Tithebarn Street to traffic to become a bus and taxi-only lane. It dropped the proposals in 2017 after fierce criticism.

A map showing the changes to the road layout around the Bus Station Pic: Lancashire County Council

Cars will only be allowed as far as the turn with Old Vicarage before being diverted.

Major tree-planting will take place with four patches of formal lawn included along with lots of public seating areas.

The design will follow the work on the Coach Station at the southern end of the Bus Station and completed in summer 2018.

Proposals also include how the Bus Station is to be lit at night and through the winter months.

This shows where the building will be lit Pic: Cassidy+Ashton/Lancashire County Council

Construction work on the new public space and roadworks will take around a year to complete if approved.

Cabinet member for highways and transport county councillor Keith Iddon said: “This is the latest stage of the redevelopment of the bus station, which has already received coverage around the world.

“These plans will create a new public space on the former bus apron, on the city centre side of the building, by providing new seating areas, green space and new lighting.

“We’ll also be changing the road layout along Tithebarn Street to help public transport. This was developed in discussion with the bus companies to understand their needs.

“The aim is to create better connections between the bus station and the city centre, while also creating a more welcoming and pleasant space for people.”

The coach station end of the Bus Station has seen major refurbishment Pic: Tony Worrall

You can see the full plans on the Preston City Council website.

The city council said it could not comment on the proposals as they were progressing through the planning system for a decision.

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