Plans have been unveiled to expand legendary Preston grassroots music venue The Ferret.
New, larger performance spaces and a set of recording studios lie at the heart of the vision for the revamp, which would see the business expand to occupy the entire Fylde Road building in which it is based.
Currently, The Ferret is located on the ground floor, while the first floor lies largely empty and two further levels are home to a martial arts gym.
The proposed overhaul comes just 18 months after the venue was saved from the threat of closure when its premises were bought by a charity set up to protect grassroots gigs, with support from Preston City Council.
At the time, the operators of The Ferret – which opened back in 2006 – said that their long-term aim was to turn the site into a “cultural hub” for Preston.
It is that ambition which plans that have now been submitted to the city authority for approval seek to realise.
The blueprint involves the creation of a 350-capacity performance area on the first floor, leaving the original Ferret – which can accommodate 200 people – largely unchanged in its current location.
Jeremy Rowlands, one of The Ferret’s directors, said that the new space would likely have a different name.
“The Ferret would become room two, if you will – a smaller room. It will be preserved and won’t look an awful lot different [to how] it does at the moment – but there will be some remodeling of the ground floor.
“There will be no more walking in front of the stage [for the toilets] and the entrance will be towards the rear. You will then go into the main bar area and [on into] The Ferret.
“[On the second floor], there will be a large area that could be used for sit-down performances and also conferences and educational [activities].
“And then above that, there’s a mezzanine floor, which will contain things like podcasting suites, recording studios and a couple of classrooms,” Jeremy explained.
He stressed that there was not yet any funding in place for the ambitious project, but said that the hope was first to secure planning permission in order to set the scheme “into motion.”
According to documents outlining the proposed changes to what is a Grade II-listed former mill, an external tower would be built to house the lift shaft. The application contends that the new structure would not “compromise the authenticity” of the 225-year-old building because, throughout its history, it has previously had various additions attached to it that played a part in the production of cotton and shoes.
The main staircase would emerge into a foyer on the last full floor, featuring large windows and a view of the street below. It is here that guests could have their tickets checked before entering the new seated performance space.
New toilets would be added in the rear of that level as well as a kitchen that could “function as a bar if necessary during performances”.
A central “circulation” area will be created – and The Ferret itself will be connected to the other venues and facilities via the lift and stairs.
The Ferret building was purchased by the Music Venues Trust in May 2024 after £2.5m was raised via a community share offer to save several local gig sites across the country. The acquisition of the site – which had been placed up for sale by its previous owners – was helped over the line with a £150,000 loan from Preston City Council.
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