Rooftop bar planned for former Preston pub The Neptune
A long-closed Preston pub could partially go back to its roots after plans were unveiled to create a rooftop terrace bar on the building – above a proposed new bedsit development.
The Neptune, as it was known until its closure in the late 1990s, has more recently been used as offices.
The former hostelry, which stands in the shadow of the Guild Way flyover at the junction of Strand Road and Marsh Lane, is currently vacant.
Now called Neptune House, it is being eyed for conversion into a “high-end” 20-bed house in multiple occupation (HMO).
As part of the revamp, two hospitality spaces are also on the cards – the rooftop venue, which could also function as an eatery, and another unit on the ground floor.
The top floor, open-air space would feature “movable walls and retractable canopies” to keep it in operation during bad weather, according to a planning application submitted to Preston City Council.
Preston-based architects Studio John Bridge – the agent for the proposal – predicts in a planning statement in support of the concept that it will become a new “‘hit’ location”, offering views across the city.
The overhaul would see the current two-storey building get a two-storey extension, along with an outward expansion – creating what is described as “an overhang at ground level to increase [the] usable area within the small boundary of the site”.
Twenty ensuite bedrooms would be created across two floors, with two communal kitchens serving each of the residential levels. The rooms would be available for rent by students or other private tenants.
Separate permission has also been sought for three illuminated digital advertising screens which would be attached to the building. The development is intended to generate a new “gateway” into Preston, the planning documents state.
According to the website closedpubs.co.uk, the once popular Neptune went into decline when BAE Systems demolished their nearby factory in 1994.