The complete transformation of a key part of Preston city centre has moved a step closer after plans were formally lodged to build five office blocks on the car park of the Fishergate Shopping Centre.
The facilities would form the first phase of a longstanding vision for the wholesale redevelopment of the area opposite the railway station – later stages of which could ultimately see the 40-year-old shopping precinct itself swept away.
A core component of the so-called Station Quarter Regeneration Framework – first unveiled in 2022 – is the creation of the type of ‘Grade A’ office space Preston is considered to lack.
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The aim of the proposed new blocks is both to attract and retain public and private sector organisations in need of the high-quality accommodation – up to 15 storeys high and totalling 78,000 square metres – that would be on offer. A leading local enterprise group says it would send the message that Preston was “open for business”.
The phase one element of the scheme would also establish a north–south pedestrian link, connecting the site to Avenham Park. It would include a series of ‘pocket parks’, which – according to documents submitted to town hall planners – would provide “opportunities for people to dwell and engage with the spaces between the new office buildings”.
The second phase of the development would involve the likely demolition of the existing shopping centre to make way for a ‘welcome square’ – and three further high-rise buildings that have previously been proposed as being a potential mix of residential, leisure and retail uses.
However, The Martin Property Group – which acquired the Fishergate Centre in 2021 and is behind the planning application – has stressed that phase 2 of the proposal is currently only “indicative”, as part of a wider masterplan for the location, and permission is not being sought for it at this stage. Instead, Preston City Council is being asked to grant ‘outline’ approval only for the office blocks.
According to John Chesworth, chair of Preston Partnership, those buildings cannot spring up soon enough – because the absence of anything resembling them at the moment is posing a problem for the city.
“Preston Partnership is in dialogue with public and private sector partners because new Grade A office space is vital for Preston’s businesses and workers. We’re already seeing firms leave the city in search of modern offices and we cannot let that continue.
“You only have to look at the impact of Liverpool’s St Paul’s Square commercial development or Birmingham’s Paradise scheme to see how Grade A office districts create not just places to work, but whole neighbourhoods.
“Paradise has delivered 3,000 permanent jobs and £470m of GVA [gross value added]. An impact like that would reverberate across Preston and signal an ‘open for business’ message.
“While offices will be at the heart of Station Quarter, it will also unlock new city living opportunities, leisure, culture and public spaces, bringing more people into the city. A modern business district has been a missing jigsaw piece for Preston for too long.
“There is a lot to be done to make the ambitious Station Quarter project a reality, but this is a positive step. We must work together to deliver it,” Mr. Chesworth said.
The Station Quarter Regeneration Framework was drawn up on behalf of Preston City Council, Lancashire County Council and the University of Lancashire in an attempt to transform a major gateway into Preston that currently gives “a poor impression” to visitors.
The Martin Property Group – along with design practice BDP and consultants WSP – have engaged with the city council, in its role as the local planning authority, as they have developed the proposals to bring the framework to fruition. They say they have received “a strong indication of support” to the approach being taken.
The plans have also been subject to an independent assessment via a national design review – facilitated by Places Matter – which generated “constructive and positive feedback”.
Mark Rawstron, property and regeneration spokesperson for the Lancashire Business Board – which was closely involved in the development of the Lancashire Growth Plan, of which the Station Quarter proposal forms part – described the scheme as “a transformational initiative designed to unlock Preston’s potential as a dynamic commercial and residential hub”.
He added: “Anchored by almost £1bn of investment and its proximity to the National Cyber Force headquarters [in Samlesbury], the project will deliver high quality office space, housing and public realm to strengthen the city’s role as a regional growth engine and enhance east-west connectivity across Lancashire.”
The vision
“The proposals aim to deliver the holistic regeneration of the existing shopping centre car park, providing a new, sustainable commercial community at the heart of Preston City Centre [and] new office uses, maximising the strategic nature of the area whilst recognising the history and heritage of immediate context.
“Part of the aspiration to make this development work, is to provide a better public realm to the heart of Preston city. Past experiences have taught us that the test of a successful development is what it contributes to the quality of life of a place to live or work in, and of a street, a neighbourhood and a town.
“A contextual design approach has been implemented to respect the historic urban grain and local heritage features, creating a meaningful piece of contemporary architecture, embedded in its local area.
“The scheme is looking to build upon the railway station as a “strategic gateway to the rest of Lancashire” and hopes to capitalise on the potential for Preston to be established as a true regional hub.”
Planning application: The Martin Property Group/BDP
Everything must go
Although the future of the Fishergate Shopping Centre – which opened in 1986 – will not be determined by the first phase of development proposed for its car park, it appears the facility’s days would be numbered if phase two should come to pass.
The planning documents note that by the time The Martin Property Group took control of the site in 2021, the centre “was experiencing the broader challenges facing the national retail sector”.
Previous plans to extend the building and construct a multi-storey car park for shoppers have come and gone over the course of the past two decades, with the most recent being withdrawn in 2016.
What and where?
According to the plans outlining the proposed development, the office blocks have been designed and positioned to “respond sensitively to the historic scale and form of Preston city centre”.
“The buildings are designed to step down in height to follow the topography of the site, with taller elements concentrated towards the centre and lower buildings positioned to the edges… adjacent to nearby conservation areas,” the blueprint explains.
The office cluster would be made up of:
***Building 1: up to 14,467sqm and 11 storeys high, including basement undercroft. Located in the south west of the plot, alongside the railway station’s multi-storey car park.
***Building 2: up to 14,047sqm and 11 storeys tall, including basement undercroft. Located in the south east of the site, fronting East Cliff Road.
***Building 3: up to 11,312sqm, arranged in a stepped form of between up to five and up to seven storeys. Located in the southernmost part of the plot, on the site of the current overflow surface car park.
***Building 4 : up to 14,940sqm and nine storeys high, including basement undercroft. Located in the north west of the site, adjacent to the southern Butler Street entrance of Preston Station.
***Building 5: up to 23,840sqm, arranged in a stepped form of between up to nine and 15 storeys. Located in the north west of the plot, just south of the current TJ Hughes store.
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