They have compiled a list of buildings as "damaging" because they don't fit in with their surroundings.

And they recommend Preston Council should consider redeveloping the sites if the opportunity arises.

These buildings were all erected before a conservation zone was first introduced to protect the area in 1984.

CRYSTAL HOUSE replaced the old Town Hall when it was demolished in 1962 following a blaze many years earlier.

Planners have slated the fact the tower block is taller than surrounding buildings and have branded it "mundane", though they say a £4m make-over to convert it into shops and flats has improved its appearance.

The INDOOR MARKET has also been singled out for criticism by planners behind the report.

They reckon it is too close to the covered market and that the steps from the first floor get in the way of market shoppers and pedestrians. Entrance ways have also been branded "dark and uninviting".

Replacing traditional buildings and narrowing the gap between shops on LIVERPOOL STREET and the covered market has created a "gloomy, enclosed space", planners say. The changes went ahead because the area was outside the protection of the first conservation zone.

LOWTHIAN HOUSE also comes under fire for not blending in with its surroundings. Planners described the dreary office block as too tall and "not relating in its materials or detailing" to anything around it.

The GUILD HALL is the final building to be listed as having "an adverse impact" on the area.

Planners say it is a "striking" building but reckon the materials used to build it and the design don't fit in with buildings on either side and opposite the venue.

>> Conservation area worth preserving

>> Which buildings in Preston should be protected?

strong>See our special picture spread on this feature in Monday's Lancashire Evening Post

>> Vote on Preston's most unsightly building or area