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A near 50-year-old Preston office block is set to be converted and extended to form the city’s latest flats development.
London House, on Primrose Hill in Fishwick, is currently vacant, having most recently been used as a free school.
Now it is being eyed for a scheme that would see a sixth storey added to the 1975 building – together with a six-storey extension alongside it.
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The plans – which have been submitted to Preston City Council for consideration – would result in the creation of 71 one and two-bedroomed flats.
An initial blueprint for 77 flats was reduced in scale after discussions with local authority planners revealed concerns that the proposed layout would be “too crowded”.
A planning statement lodged on behalf of the applicant, Preston-based Retail Revive Ltd., describes the site as being “a clear opportunity for redevelopment, considering that the existing office building…has no viable use”.
The document adds: “The proposal is not in close proximity to any residential dwellings, so the development will not have a negative impact on the existing residential amenity.
“However, it is located in close proximity to Eden Boys School. There are no habitable rooms facing directly onto the school and the new wing will provide quantities of shade for the school from direct sunlight.”
The proposal also pledges the creation of a modern design, but one that fits in with the “industrial” history of the surrounding area and its buildings.
“Whilst not a pastiche of existing buildings, the scheme focuses on being contextual but at the same time contemporary,” the statement concludes.
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