Town Council Meeting – 9th September

Nelson Town Council met in full session on September, one of the key topics for discussion was the issue of the multi-storey car park above the old bus station. 

The multi storey car park is owned by the same company as Pendle Rise Shopping Centre and has been the source of much concern and controversy over the years.  The structure was built in 1965, and was once voted as the second ugliest building in Britain.  Several years ago, transport pressure group Bus Users UK described the former bus station as being “one of the worst in the country.”   It is also common knowledge in the town that Pendle Rise’s car park is  afflicted by the constructional problem known as “concrete cancer.” 

However, the most worrying issue related to this building, is the fact that it has become the place of choice in Pendle for people to take their own lives.  The Town Council was asked to discuss whether we could provide part funding for railings or fencing to be put up on the car park to prevent people from accessing the wall tops.  The discussion was lively to say the least, many councillors felt that it was not the duty of the town council to provide funding to carry out work on a building owned by a private property company.  Councillors also felt that the owner has a duty of care to the public to carry out the work at their own expense under the terms of the Health and Safety at Work Act.  Whilst I appreciate the very emotive nature of the debate we had, councillors decided that the Town Council would not fund any work on the car stack until its future is formally announced.

A good number of Town Councillors, myself included, are of the view that the only real solution to the blight this structure has on our town centre is for it to be demolished and the site redeveloped.