The building is the first phase of the masterplan for the station area
Preston has taken the first step on the road to transforming an important part of the city center after long-awaited plans to redevelop the car park of Fishergate Shopping Center were given the green light.
Councilors have given permission for five office blocks to be built on a popular car park – after hearing it would be a “catalyst” for regeneration in the area around the train station.
The building is the first phase of a two-stage ‘masterplan’ vision which – if fully realized – will eventually see the shopping precinct demolished. It will then be replaced by a public square and three other high-rise properties for residential, leisure and retail use.
However, the latter project – part of the city’s Station Quarter Regeneration Framework blueprint, first announced in 2022 – will be subject to a separate future planning application.
The redevelopment of the car park – approved in outline form by the planning committee of Preston City Council – revolves around the creation of a building between nine and 15 storeys high, which will offer a kind of ‘Grade A’ office space Preston is considered low. The agreement comes 40 years after the first Fishergate Shopping Center opened.
The committee heard that the development – of 78,600 square meters of accommodation – will be staggered, with each block delivered only after the tenant has been secured.
David Staniland, of planning consultancy BDP – the agent for the application – said no place would be built “speculatively”. He said Martin Property Group – which owns the Fishergate site and is behind the proposed revamp – will bring forward one or two buildings at a time for more detailed planning approval that each still requires.
Committee member Cllr Harry Landless said he was “skeptical” whether there was demand for the volume of office space being created.
“A lot of people are working from home – [so] where is all this [prospective workers] do you want to come?” he asked.
However, Mr Staniland said applicants “wouldn’t do it” if they didn’t receive “commercial advice” to show the office was needed.
As the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has previously revealed, the hope is that one or more government departments will be attracted to the site – either relocating from an existing base in the city or coming to Preston for the first time. The Department for Work and Pensions and Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are already based in Preston, with the latter employing more than 1,000 staff.
By 2023, HMRC has made a long-term commitment to stay in Preston – but it is not known whether that could mean moving to the Fishergate site.
Cllr Michael Peak expressed concern that the piecemeal approach to building the office block meant the work could take “a long time” – with all the disruption it would cause. But Mr Staniland said the scheme would not be left “open”.
Asked when phase 2 – the demolition of the shopping center – could officially proceed, he said it would be “pure speculation” to suggest a time frame – but added that he expected approval for those elements to be sought “earlier” to complete phase 1.
The wider Station Quarter Regeneration Framework – which incorporates the revamp of other parts of the area, including the Corporation Street corridor to the university – has been presented as a project for at least a decade. It was developed by Preston City Council, Lancashire County Council and the University of Lancashire to create a new gateway to Preston – and correct the “poor first impression” currently given to visitors arriving by train.
Of the office block scheme, David Staniland told the committee it was an opportunity to attract “catalysts for … regeneration … creating areas of urban transformation”.
City council planning officer Patrick Marfleet later added that the development would “bring in investment.” [into] a city center that desperately needs it”.
Committee member Cllr Ben Ward shared these sentiments, but said it was important to appreciate the scale of the changes to be introduced – and make the most of them.
“I hope the people who look after Preston town center and … [and] offer the night to remember that this is a game changer. You bring thousands of people [who are] potential[ly] tangible assets.
“[But] there is a chance that we can lose out as well – so it’s about making sure that the big picture beyond this area is implemented at the same time. You don’t want to lose the retail power of the Fishergate Center without being able to replicate it elsewhere,” he said.
The committee eventually approved the application, with Cllrs Landless and Peak abstaining.
The meeting heard that much of the 11 months since the planning application for the office block was submitted has been spent in what David Staniland described as “protracted” discussions with the road department of Lancashire County Council over the impact of the loss of 780-space car park – despite the fact that the authority was co-author of the regeneration framework on which the proposal was based.
Fishergate car park in Preston city centre(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Preston City Council has supported that the facility is “surplus to requirements”, Mr Marfleet said.
The redeveloped site will provide 42 disabled parking spaces and space to store over 230 bicycles.
However, thinking about the number of potential employees who will be based in the new office – which it is suggested, based on the recommended space per employee, could be as many as 6,000 – Cllr Peak asked: “How many will come by car and where will they park?”
Mr. Marfleet said the city council content that the analysis has proven there is sufficient capacity both for displaced visitors to Preston and the influx of new workers – not least because the location of the office, opposite the station, encouraged “shift” away from car travel.
The committee also heard that part of the car park could be used during the construction of the office building to be delivered.
concerns Lancashire County Council finally assuaded with the condition requiring applicants to carry out an annual survey – five years after the office came into operation – which identifies how the workers are traveling and, if by car, where they park.
If there is “reasonable evidence” of a significant impact on on-street parking, a controlled parking zone and resident permit scheme will be implemented – funded by financial contributions from developers.
The planning approval also requires the applicant to contribute £100,000 towards the installation of “intelligent CCTV technology” which will improve road reliability for transport modes, particularly during peak times or during incidents.
High horizons
While most of the development’s design specifications are only showing at the outline planning stage, the committee heard that the maximum height of the building will be 83 meters – and that the tallest will be in the middle of the car park site to limit its impact on surrounding properties.
The effects of the block scale on the wider area will be formally assessed at the next ‘protected matter’ stage in the planning process.
However, Patrick Marfleet said only a “glimpse” of the building would be visible from Winckley Square when the tree cover is reduced in winter.
The site will also include “pocket parks” between the new blocks.
‘Magnet for investment’
Preston Business Improvement District (BID) manager Mark Whittle told LDRS the planning committee’s decision was “a major step forward for Preston and an important signal of confidence in the city’s future”.
“Preston needs more Grade A office space to attract larger organizations and encourage them to be in the town centre.
“Creating the right modern workspace offer is vital to strengthening the area, attracting new investment, encouraging economic growth and ensuring the district remains a competitive, connected and attractive place to do business,” added Mr Whittle.
Where is it built?
- Building 1 – 11 floors (up to 14,467sqm floorspace), located on the southwest side of the Fishergate car park plot, adjacent to the train station multi-storey car park.
- 2 – 11 storey building (up to 14,047sqm), located on the south east side and facing East Cliff Road.
- Building 3 – arranged in the form of stairs between up to five and up to seven levels high (up to 11,312 sqm) in the southernmost part of the site, occupying the current flooded surface car park.
- Building 4 – nine storeys, including the basement (up to 14,940sqm), located in the north-west of the site, adjacent to the south entrance of Butler Street from Preston Station.
- Building 5 – arranged in the form of stairs between up to nine and up to 15 floors (up to 23,840sqm), to the south of the current TJ Hughes store.