'Insufficient information' to approve Preston's Harris Institute refurbishment works
Planning officials have demanded more detail about the renovation of a landmark Preston building before work on it can get under way.
Preston City Council says it has been provided with "insufficient information” to decide whether to give the final go-ahead to the restoration of the Grade II*-listed Harris Institute site on Avenham Lane.
The authority granted so-called ‘listed building consent’ for a project to bring the 175-year-old property back to life last December, after more than a decade of disuse - during which it had become increasingly derelict.
The proposal revolved around the development of a new creative hub and events and exhibition space in the main building - along with the creation of nine holiday apartments in the adjoining Regent House.
However, the approval was dependent on a number of conditions being met before the various aspects of the work could begin. One of them involved the submission to the local authority of a “comprehensive” plan detailing the “exterior and interior conservation and intervention methodology” that would guide the refurbishment. The city council says it requires more information than has been provided in order to discharge that condition.
The Lancashire Post understands that the plan that was submitted related specifically to the Regent House element of the scheme, as that is the aspect of the revamp which is being focused upon first.
John Bridge, the architect and agent for the project, said the team behind the vision for the site was “working on” producing the additional material required.
According to the condition attached to the original planning permission, town hall planning officers want to see “information regarding the work practices to be employed on the building, both to its exterior and interior, and…details of any new materials to be used, including stone cleaning and re-pointing of stonework, replacement [of] timber elements [and] metal, interior wall finishes and paint finishes”.
External changes to the building are to be limited to repairs and the installation of a lift, to allow wheelchair access, on the Regent Street side of the site.
Facilities within the institute are to include a gallery, theatre, dance studio, conference and meeting rooms and a co-working area. In Regent House, six single and three duplex apartments are to be developed, accessed via the existing private side entrance from Regent Street. A new courtyard with access from the main entrance to Regent House will also be created.
The Harris Institute was last in use in 2014 as the Darul Aloom Islamic Institution.
It was built by John Welch as the Preston Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge between 1846 and 1849. A terraced forecourt was soon added and the Classical-style building was enlarged in 1883 when it was converted to a Technological College. The extension work had been funded by benefactor Edmund Robert Harris on the stipulation that the facility would be used for educational purposes.
Plans to convert the striking building - which includes an imperial staircase and lecture room - into a dozen flats were turned down by the then Preston Borough Council in 1998. The University of Central Lancashire operated the building for a time as its Department of Performing Arts, but put it up for sale in 2009 after it moved into a new £15m development on the main campus.