Vacant ground floor of Derby Court Hotel in Preston to be converted

The Derby Court Hotel houses a public house and arcade, a function room and offices.

Now applicant Jeff Duddy of Lineneed has permission to transform the hotel’s ground floor which has been left empty for two years, falling into disrepair and becoming an ‘eyesore along Church Street and Pole Street’.

Planning documents state: “The full planning application is for a change of use for the ground floor only, leaving the hotel to the first floor, and hotel reception on the ground floor unchanged.

“It is proposed to use the existing floor area of the building and split it up to create six units from the existing three units. The overall floor area will not increase in size.”

One of the units will stay as a pub but smaller while another unit is to be a betting office with the remaining spaces to be filled with retail shops.

On the outside of the building plans from Lineneed detail how the firm will remove the existing dilapidated timber shop frontage, doors and windows to the building along Church Street and Pole Street, and replace them with a new more contemporary steel clad façade.