An enormous new apartment and office block could become Preston’s tallest structure.
Known as Altura the 30-storey tower would be built on land currently used as a car park close to Preston Bus Station.
TSS Property has tabled proposals for the 96-metre tower which would include 218 apartments and seven grade-A office spaces.
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It would stand two metres-taller than the spire of St Walburge’s Church and be 35-metres taller than the nearby Guild Centre tower.
The firm has recently been doing up the nearby Unicentre building to convert it into apartments – known as CityWalk. TSS also recently acquired two other city centre office blocks in Guildhall Street.
TSS say the Altura scheme would have a development value of more than £40million.
The tower would be made up of 163 one-bedroom flats and 55 two-bedroom flats.
Altura has been in the planning stages for three years according to the developers with Preston-based David Cox Architects sketching out how it would look.
Managing director of David Cox Architects, Steven Gallagher, said: “Altura has taken three years of design development and evolution, and an unwavering commitment from a team of dedicated professionals. We are all proud to be playing a part in shaping the future of Preston.
“Once complete, Altura will be an elegant, contemporary building; one that reflects Preston’s ambition and celebrates its growing status as a dynamic urban centre. We are confident that it will make a meaningful and lasting contribution to the city’s evolving skyline. We look forward to seeing Altura take its place as an inspiring symbol of the city’s progress and ambition.”
The tower – which developers claim would be the tallest residential building in Lancashire – would lead to around 60 jobs being created during the construction phase which is expected to take two-and-a-half-years.
The location for the tower would be on the current car park on the corner of Derby Street and Lords Walk.
A planning application has this week been lodged with Preston City Council for outline planning permission and a decision is expected later this year.
The area around the Bus Station has seen significant development in recent years with the conversion of buildings into apartment blocks – with The Exchange Scheme and Bishopsgate Gardens apartment blocks, proposals for conversion of the Guild Centre tower into apartments and a major redevelopment of the St John’s Shopping Centre was recently announced by its owners Praxis.
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