A towering addition to Preston's skyline set for go-ahead

Preston’s skyline is set to get a towering new addition, with a landmark 15-storey apartment block expected to be given the green light this week.
Artist's impression of how Bhailok Court will look.Artist's impression of how Bhailok Court will look.
Artist's impression of how Bhailok Court will look.

Bhailok Court, which will include 176 flats, is planned for the site of the city’s former employment exchange near the bus station.

Councillors will be recommended to approve the state-of-the-art building in Pole Street when it comes before the planning committee on Thursday.

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Officers say the spectacular construction, which ranges from six to 15 floors, is acceptable, despite objections over its height and and claims it is “not of an appropriate design or scale for the area.”

Developers, the Heaton Group, say the tower will have 109 one-bed apartments and 67 two-bed. The sixth floor of the building will include an outdoor roof terrace for communal use. A residents’ lounge will also be provided at ground floor level.

The employment exchange building, which has already been demolished, had stood empty at the junction of Pole Street and Percy Street for up to 12 years.

The planned building, which will have two towers of different heights, is seen as appropriate in an area of the city centre which has two more high buildings - the Unicentre and the Guild Tower - and also the city’s bus station.

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A report to go before the planning committee says the building “would not result in any unacceptable impacts upon highway safety, nor on visual amenity or residential amenity.

"There are no adverse impacts of granting planning permission for the proposed development that would significantly outweigh the benefits.”