Thousands of votes in Preston Bus Station competition

A total of 4,215 votes have been cast by people choosing their favourite design for a new youth zone at Preston's iconic bus station.

The competition, which involved five anonymous shortlisted entries, closed at 4pm on Tuesday 21 July. The overall winner will be announced in August.

The plans will see a multi-million pound investment in the Grade II listed bus station site, to create a vibrant public space and a home for the new Preston Youth Zone – while preserving the building’s unique brutalist architecture.

There were 3,829 online votes, as well as 386 votes cast at the public exhibition held in the bus station.

The public votes will now be taken into consideration, accounting for up to 10% of the final choice, alongside architectural considerations.

You can still see the shortlisted designs online at www.lancashire.gov.uk/competition, but voting has now closed.

The architectural competition is being run by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), on behalf of Lancashire County Council and Preston Youth Zone.

County Councillor Jennifer Mein, leader of the county council, said: "Thank you to everyone who took the time to come along to the exhibition or vote online.

"We're delighted by the level of public interest in these plans for a multi-million pound new youth zone, alongside one of Lancashire's most striking buildings.

"I think that any of these designs would be an excellent addition to the city.

"I'm looking forward to finding out in the summer which of these great designs has been chosen by the judges. We're hoping to see work starting on the site next year to create an exciting new centre for young people."

The Youth Zone project is led by OnSide Youth Zones, a charity dedicated to providing modern youth facilities based on the model of the highly successful and innovative Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

The county council hosted a special exhibition last week at the bus station, on Thursday 16 July and Friday 17 July, where people could see the plans and vote for their favourite.

Staff from the county council's property team were also on hand to answer questions about the plans.

The five anonymous entries were chosen recently by the judging panel, out of almost 100 entries that were submitted to the competition.

To find out more about the competition, visit www.ribacompetitions.com/preston.

For further information please contact: Stephen Axon on 01772 533 194