A facelift planned for Preston station has been given the green light – in spite of concerns that one aspect of the revamp might affect the “appreciation” of the Grade II-listed building.
Train company Avanti West Coast, which operates the busy interchange, intends to erect almost 200 new signs in and around the historic structure in an attempt to reduce confusion for travellers.
Preston City Council has approved the overhaul, which will see all 261 current pieces of signage removed and replaced with 196 new ‘wayfinders’ across both the station and car park.
Avanti has previously said that some of the existing signs are “inconsistent” and out-of-date – and that the replacements will be “clearer and simpler to follow, improving navigation around the station”.
The overall reduction of 65 signs – 10 within the station itself – would help to “declutter” the signage arrangements, the firm said in its application for permission to make the changes.
However, in granting so-called ‘listed building consent’ for the project, city council planning officers expressed “slight concerns” about plans for two freestanding ‘totem’-style signs inside the main entrance and on the ramp leading down onto the central platforms.
“Whilst these are positioned centrally on the walkway to ensure they are highly visible, they are poorly sited in relation to the appreciation of the station as you walk down onto the main platforms,” a report outlining their decision notes.
However, officials acknowledge that there are already signs and adverts located centrally on the elevated walkways of the station, meaning that the impact of the totems would cause only “a very low level of less than substantial harm to the setting” of the station.
“This harm is considered to be sufficiently outweighed by the benefits of improving legibility and navigation around the station,” they explain.
A total of eight floor-mounted totems will be installed across the site, including one on the pavement outside the station entrance, which is likely to require separate planning permission. Also amongst the new signs will be 37 wall-mounted pointers.
Town hall planners concluded that the overall package of works “would not cause unacceptable harm to the historic character, significance or setting of the listed building”.
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