A derelict pub in Preston city centre looks set to be demolished after it was deemed too dangerous to be saved.
The results of a structural inspection appear to have dashed the hopes of a community group to salvage part of ‘The Tithebarn’ – opposite the bus station – and turn it into a heritage centre for the city.
Preston City Council had originally proposed flattening the historic – but unlisted – building back in May, because of the risk posed by its crumbling condition. The oldest section is thought to date back to 1793 and the structure has stood empty since the pub served its last customers in 2016.
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However, the authority – which acquired the hostelry shortly after its closure – was lobbied by the community interest company Preserving Preston’s Heritage (PPH) to leave one aspect of the building standing and give them time to pursue their vision for the prime site.
The group said its own assessment suggested that the part of the pub fronting Lord Street could be saved, with only a one-time barn area – on Tithebarn Street – needing to be bulldozed.
In June, city council cabinet members agreed to put the brakes on the complete demolition, pending more detailed surveys to see whether that part of the building could be retained – although the authority did not commit to any particular use for the structure.
However, a fresh inspection commissioned by the authority has concluded that retention of any element of the building is “not acceptable in its current state”.
“Any remedial work to the pub would put people at risk,” the assessment by Davis Consultants warned.
That outcome has led to the city council to lodge a fresh planning application to level the entire site, after revised plans for a partial demolition were approved in July.
The authority’s deputy leader, Cllr Martyn Rawlinson, said two independent specialists have now “raised concerns about the property’s decayed structure”, meaning it is “highly unlikely that the building will be able to remain standing” – even in part.
He added that the property was “far too dangerous and poses a threat to public safety, especially to our new neighbours The Vault – Preston’s new youth zone – and its young visitors”.
Cllr Rawlinson nevertheless pledged that the authority would “do our very best to attempt to save some aspects of the façade or external wall that can be incorporated into future build designs for the site – and we also want to salvage some of the building’s materials that could potentially be reused in some way”.
However, Glenn Cookson, from PPH, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the group believed the authority had only sought reasons to demolish the building, rather than ways to salvage it.
“Davis Consultants have been tasked with a very specific objective -to look for faults as to why the building should be pulled down, not how the building could be saved.
“It feels like the council have just played us to silence us, because the campaign to turn the building into a heritage center was gaining so much traction – so [the decision in June] just gave them more time to build their own narrative.
“[This is] a predetermined demolition – it’s very clear they never had any interest to work with us or to save it in the first place,” Glenn claimed.
The Davis Consultants report acknowledges that its inspection was “confined…to those elements of the building that are visible” and did not assess “woodwork or other parts of the structure that are covered, unexposed or inaccessible”.
However, its conclusion was that “the slender walls of the building, together with the effects of roof spread, water ingress and flimsy internal timber stud walls combine to form a building which is unstable and unsafe”.
“The external walls of the building have distorted an unacceptable amount,” the report added, noting “bulges” of between 35mm and 150mm.
While all of the problems identified in the Tithebarn Street section were considered to be “unsafe”, some of the deformations within the part fronting Lord Street “could be considered acceptable” in certain circumstances. However, there were others in that same area that were considered to be “unacceptable” in any case.
PPH claims the city council will now be hit with a bill of over £350,000 for complete demolition of The Tithebarn. The LDRS has been advised that the authority has had quotes that are significantly lower than that amount, but that these remain confidential.
Resounding to Glenn Cookson’s comments, Cllr Rawlinson said: ““The council has listened and explored the Preserving Preston Heritage (PPH) proposals to convert the building into community use and has sought expert advice to see if there was some way the building could be in part saved, to facilitate plans of this nature to go ahead.
“Saving the whole structure was never an option, as the property is in too much of a bad state of repair. We have listened to independent expert advice and do not make this decision to demolish the property lightly.
“We understand that PPH has no available funding in place for a conversion of this scale, or to cover the costs of any of the urgent repairs that would need to be done. The property is too unsafe to remain standing in its current state, and we have a duty of care to our residents, especially located next door to the imminent new youth zone that will welcome thousands of young people through its doors.
“If we can salvage some of the exterior wall to incorporate into a new building the future, juxtaposing new with old, or using some of the original bricks, we will do so.”
The planning application for full demolition will be decided by Preston City Council’s independent cross-party planning committee.
Council leader Matthew Brown told the LDRS that the ruling Labour group had not yet discussed options for the future of the site at “a political level”.
Asked whether PPH had a plan B to create for a heritage centre somewhere else in Preston, Glenn Cookson said: ”Watch this space.”
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