But the mills went decades ago! City status has also got nothing to do with size, Lancaster is smaller! City status is simply the conferring of a civic honour on a particular area by the Sovereign after consultation with the government. Your feeling "nothing" about city status is irrelevant.
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City Centre Investment
- Thread starter SF
- Start date
Been talk for a while that the Unicentre is being vacated for residential development around October time. The below article about the CPS moving from Unicentre to Guildhall House would seem to support this.
www.placenorthwest.co.uk
The conversion of Bishopgate Gardens from office blocks to residential properties looks fantastic and if they manage to do a similar job to the Unicentre, that will be a really iconic building for Preston. It stands out in that area, it's a huge building for Preston and it will look brilliant alongside the nearby Exchange and Chadderton Court developments.
That area around Pole Street seems to experiencing a real development boom, developers getting in there early ahead of the Stoneygate regeneration.
CPS on the move in Preston - Place North West
The Crown Prosecution Service has taken 6,779 sq ft across two floors at Guildhall House in the city's largest post-pandemic office deal.
www.placenorthwest.co.uk
The conversion of Bishopgate Gardens from office blocks to residential properties looks fantastic and if they manage to do a similar job to the Unicentre, that will be a really iconic building for Preston. It stands out in that area, it's a huge building for Preston and it will look brilliant alongside the nearby Exchange and Chadderton Court developments.
That area around Pole Street seems to experiencing a real development boom, developers getting in there early ahead of the Stoneygate regeneration.
chorleythehord
Patron
Been talk for a while that the Unicentre is being vacated for residential development around October time. The below article about the CPS moving from Unicentre to Guildhall House would seem to support this.
CPS on the move in Preston - Place North West
The Crown Prosecution Service has taken 6,779 sq ft across two floors at Guildhall House in the city's largest post-pandemic office deal.
The conversion of Bishopgate Gardens from office blocks to residential properties looks fantastic and if they manage to do a similar job to the Unicentre, that will be a really iconic building for Preston. It stands out in that area, it's a huge building for Preston and it will look brilliant alongside the nearby Exchange and Chadderton Court developments.
That area around Pole Street seems to experiencing a real development boom, developers getting in there early ahead of the Stoneygate regeneration.
View attachment 8803
I like the Unicentre building - one of the better high rises and changing it to residential is a good move.
Was wandering round town this afternoon today ahead of the game. The reality is retail as we knew it is dead - places like Office World , Pole street , even teh old BHS on Fishergate = they all need knocking down and some quality residential accommodation that is not an eye sore putting in their place. That will bring life to the bars , restaurants and (different) retail that remains and give it a chance. At the moment they are on their arses and the recession has not got going yet
Yeah, fully agree with that.
I'm surprised Office World has lasted as long as it has sat there derelict, it's in a prime spot that on Ringway, I know there was the Altus plans a while back but they fizzled out into nothing. Shame really as we're desperately lacking Grade A office space.
Pole Street is in a great place at the moment, some decent developments coming along and the conversion of the Unicentre can only add to that. That whole bottom end of Church Street will hopefully benefit. There is also plans for a coworking space at the old Lamb pub, that will hopefully help bring some life into that area along with the residential plans.
You're right about the old BHS store, same can be said for the old JJB store and even Topman across the road. I thought Revolution might have moved into one of these but they took the old Fishers bar location.
John Bridge released some plans for the burned down Odeon site which I was really impressed with. A mixed use, land-scraper that includes the old Odeon frontage and helps link the alleyways of Old Sprit Weind and Old Cock Yard (pics below). Would also look impressive alongside the PR1 development that has the green light and I thought would have been in construction by now.
chorleythehord
Patron
Yes. I like those. Some of the other plans I have seen for proposed developments are cheap concrete monstrosities. The focus should be on building quality residential accommodation ( I spend some time in Media City Salford and that quality of architecture should be the model) in the right areas of town. That top end of town on church street seems to be a focus for under age drinkers and I can’t see anyone realistically wanting to live there and wade through the vomit in the morning 😁.
I can see a lot of fishergate becoming residential in time. As well as from the eyesores we have both mentioned that needknocking down and starting again, there are also some quite spectacular buildings that can be kept and converted. Nat west at 35 is my favourite. They probably need about 10% of the floor space now.
I can see a lot of fishergate becoming residential in time. As well as from the eyesores we have both mentioned that needknocking down and starting again, there are also some quite spectacular buildings that can be kept and converted. Nat west at 35 is my favourite. They probably need about 10% of the floor space now.
Agreed, I think they look brilliant and adds something different to the cityscape.
I like a lot of John Bridge's work, he's very passionate about Preston and puts some good stuff out there.
I just hope they don't end up knocking up another generic city centre building there and we lost the Odeon frontage. We've already seen just over the road the criminality in knocking down a stunning, historic building for a generic, shitty office block in Crystal House.
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2005
- Messages
- 109,030
I do like the fact they are planning to retain the art deco frontage but i think the adjoining frontage is horrendous, personally.
Another image below of the proposed Chadderton and Crompton Court developments which will sit across from the Exchange building.
Also some plans here for the development of the former Derby Court Hotel, where Pole Street meets Church Street for the conversion of three ground floor units to six retail units and a restaurant.
That bottom end of Church Street finally getting some attention. The Unicentre conversion to residential will only improve things too.
Also some plans here for the development of the former Derby Court Hotel, where Pole Street meets Church Street for the conversion of three ground floor units to six retail units and a restaurant.
That bottom end of Church Street finally getting some attention. The Unicentre conversion to residential will only improve things too.
You have 4 completley different styles over around 50 yards in that pic, looks awful an assault on the visual senses
Planning application in here for a development up to 16 storeys in height for the former Dryden Mill on the corner of Manchester Road, Grimshaw Street and Queens Street in the Stoneygate/Avenham area.
Some images below from the design and access statement. 16 storeys would be the same as the nearby Exchange, it seems as though they wanted 19 to make it a landmark building but were dissuaded at the pre-application enquiry.
Shame to see the height being reduced, same thing that happened with Lofthaus. Seems the council are determined to stop any serious high rises from developing.
Some images below from the design and access statement. 16 storeys would be the same as the nearby Exchange, it seems as though they wanted 19 to make it a landmark building but were dissuaded at the pre-application enquiry.
Shame to see the height being reduced, same thing that happened with Lofthaus. Seems the council are determined to stop any serious high rises from developing.
chorleythehord
Patron
Not my taste but just about anything is an improvement to that part of town.
I think it looks well, has a Salford Quays look to it. Still disappointed though they haven’t gone higher with the tower.
But like you say, anything up there is an improvement.
chorleythehord
Patron
to be fair, looking again, particularly the second picture down , as I type just back from Salford quays! , the quality of materials looks to be decent, though the proof of the pudding as they say.…All the tower flats in Salford Quays have a quality build feel about them.
also the proposals are not completely featureless , compared to the avenham flats in the background, and the ( obscured) Roccia building in the foreground.
Looks pretty good IMO and that area is in desperate need of revitalisation.
No doubt Preston's finest Facebook commentators will soon poo-poo it!
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2015
- Messages
- 16,598
Same here, it's town
More on Dryden Mill.
www.blogpreston.co.uk
Plans lodged for 469 high rise flats in Preston City Centre
An amenity space located within the Green Street Communal Garden Plans have been submitted to build high rise flats on the former Dryden Mill site in Presto
www.blogpreston.co.uk