'Transformation' of Preston city centre approved with redevelopment of Fishergate Shopping Centre car park

Preston has taken the first step on the road to transforming a key part of its city centre after long-awaited plans to redevelop the car park of the Fishergate Shopping Centre were given the green light.

Councillors have granted permission for the construction of five office blocks on the popular parking spot - after hearing that it would be “a catalyst” for regeneration in the area around the railway station.

The buildings form the first phase of a two-stage ‘masterplan’ vision which - if fully realised - will ultimately see the shopping precinct itself demolished. It would then be replaced with a public square and three other high-rise properties for residential, leisure and retail use.

However, the latter project - part of the city's broader Station Quarter Regeneration Framework blueprint, first unveiled in 2022 - would be subject to a separate future planning application.

The car park redevelopment - approved in outline form by Preston City Council’s planning committee on Thursday - revolves around the creation of buildings between nine and 15 storeys tall, which will offer the kind of ‘Grade A’ office space Preston is deemed to lack. Its approval comes 40 years after the Fishergate Shopping Centre first opened.

The committee heard that the development - of 78,600 square metres of accommodation - will be staggered, with each block being delivered only once a tenant has been secured.

David Staniland, from planning consultancy BDP - the agent for the application - said none of the premises would be built "speculatively". He said The 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 the further detailed planning approval that each will still require.

Committee member Cllr Harry Landless said he was “sceptical” over whether the demand existed for the volume of office space being created.

“More and more people seem to be working from home - [so] where are all these [prospective workers] going to come from?” he asked.

However, Mr. Staniland said the applicant "wouldn't be doing it” if they had not received “commercial advice” to show that the offices were required.

As the Lancashire Post has previously revealed, the hope is that one or more government departments will be attracted to the site - either relocating from existing bases in the city or coming to Preston for the first time. Both the Department for Work and Pensions and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are already present in Preston, with the latter alone employing more than 1,000 staff.

In 2023, HMRC made a long-term commitment to remaining in Preston – but it is not known whether that might ultimately mean a move to the Fishergate site.

Cllr Michael Peak raised concern that the piecemeal approach to building the office blocks meant the work could go on for “a long, long time” - with all the disruption that would entail. But Mr. Staniland said the scheme would not be left “open-ended”.

Asked when phase 2 - the demolition of the shopping centre - might formally be brought forward, he said it would be “pure speculation” to suggest a timeframe - but added that he expected outline approval for that element to be sought “well in advance” of the completion of phase 1.

The wider Station Quarter Regeneration Framework - which incorporates a revamp of other parts of the area, including the Corporation Street corridor through to the university - has been presented as being at least a decade-long project. It was developed by Preston City Council, Lancashire County Council and the University of Lancashire in order to create a new gateway into 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 spark “a catalyst for... regeneration...creating a transformational area of the city”.

City council planning officer Patrick Marfleet later added that the development would “bring investment [into] a city centre that desperately needs it”.

Committee member Cllr Ben Ward shared that sentiment, but said it was important to appreciate the scale of the change that would be unleashed - and make the most of it.

“I hope that the people who are overseeing Preston city centre and… its retail offer [and] its nighttime offer realise that this is a game changer. You are bringing in thousands of people [who are] potential[ly] real assets.

“[But] there is a chance that we could lose out as well - so it is about making sure that the big picture beyond this area is implemented at the same time. You wouldn't want to lose the retail strength of the Fishergate Centre without somehow replicating that somewhere else,” he cautioned.

The committee ultimately approved the application, with Cllrs Landless and Peak abstaining.

Parking perils

The meeting heard that much of the 11 months since the planning application for the office blocks was submitted had been spent in what David Staniland described as “protracted” discussions with Lancashire County Council’s highways department over the impact of the loss of the 780-space car park - notwithstanding the fact the authority was a co-author of the regeneration framework on which the proposal was based.

Preston City Council had argued that the facility was “surplus to requirements”, Mr. Marfleet said.

The redeveloped site will offer 42 disabled parking bays and space for more than 230 bicycles to be stored.

However, musing on the number of potential employees to be based at the new offices - which he suggested, based on recommended space per employee, could be as many as 6,000 - Cllr Peak asked: “How many are going to come in cars and where the hell are they going to park?”

Mr. Marfleet said the city council was content that analysis had proved there was sufficient capacity both for displaced visitors to Preston and the influx of new workers - not least because the location of the offices, opposite the station, encouraged “a shift” away from car travel.

The committee also heard it was possible that parts of the car park might remain in use during construction of the earlier of the office buildings to be delivered.

Lancashire County Council’s concerns were ultimately assuaged with a condition requiring the applicant to carry out an annual survey - for five years after the offices come into operation - which identifies how workers are travelling and, if by car, where they are parking.

Where there is “reasonable evidence” of a significant impact on on-street parking, controlled parking zones and resident permit schemes will be implemented - funded by a financial contribution from the developer.

A planning agreement will also require the applicant to contribute £100,000 towards the installation of “intelligent CCTV technology” that will improve road reliability for transport modes, especially during peak periods or when an incident occurs.

High-rise horizons

While most of the design specifics of the development are only indicative at the outline planning stage, the committee heard that the maximum height of any of the buildings will be 83 metres - and the tallest of them will be located in the middle of the car park site in order to limit their impact on surrounding properties.

The effect of the scale of the blocks on the wider area will be formally assessed at the next ‘reserved matters’ stage of the planning process.

However, Patrick Marfleet said only "glimpses” of the buildings would be visible from nearby Winckley Square when tree cover was reduced during winter.

The car park site will also include “pocket parks” in between the new blocks.

‘A magnet for investment’

Preston Business Improvement District (BID) manager Mark Whittle told the Post the planning committee's decision was “a major step forward for Preston and an important signal of confidence in the city’s future”.

“Preston is in critical need of more high-quality Grade A office space to attract larger organisations and encourage them to establish a presence in the city centre.

“Creating the right modern workspace offer is essential to strengthening the area, attracting new investment, supporting economic growth and ensuring that the district remains a competitive, connected and compelling place to do business,” Mr. Whittle added.

What’s being built where?

***Building 1 – 11 storeys (up to 14,467sqm floorspace), located on the south-western part of the Fishergate car park plot, adjacent to the railway station multi-storey car park.

***Building 2 – 11 storeys (up to 14,047sqm), located to the south east and fronting East Cliff Road.

***Building 3 – arranged in a stepped form of between up to five and up to seven storeys high (up to 11,312 sqm) on the southernmost section of the site, occupying the current overflow surface car park.

***Building 4 – nine storeys, including basement (up to 14,940sqm), located to the north west of the site, adjacent to the southern Butler Street entrance of Preston Station.

***Building 5 – arranged in a stepped form of between up to nine and up to 15 storeys (up to 23,840sqm), just south of the current TJ Hughes store.