PRESTON City Council's leader John Collins has vowed the public will be consulted before a final decision is made about the new site for the bus station.

His comments come after a row broke out in a council meeting last week over consultation on the new preferred site.

Elaine Abbot, former councillor and portfolio holder for housing and direct services, questioned Coun Collins on the way the decision had come to light and how much consultation had been carried out.

Coun Collins said that the site in Church Street was only made public on July 1 because theCitizen had discovered the location of the preferred site when architect Sir Terry Farrell visited Preston on June 24.

Mr Farrell is the master planner for the multi-million pound Tithebarn regeneration project that will transform the centre of Preston, and building a new bus station is part of this project.

"At the moment a study is being carried out into the feasibility of the site," said Coun Collins.

"If the feasibility is confirmed, then public consultation will be carried out before a decision is made but no decision has been made yet, let me stress that at the moment it is only the preferred option."