Amounderness House revamp, £7m Preston holiday park approved

The city council will breathe new life into the grade two-listed building to create a coworking office complex  in the city’s Market Quarter, while developer GHV can now progress with its plans to transform Goosnargh Golf Club into a luxury resort.

Preston City Council approved its own plans to bring Amounderness House back into use, along with GHV’s Garstang holiday park, at its planning committee meeting yesterday. These decisions were made in line with officer recommendations.

Amounderness House

Application number: 06/2023/0888

Amounderness House, which sits on the corner of Lancaster Road and Earl Street, will be transformed under the city council’s plans to secure the future of the former courthouse.

The Frank Whittle Partnerships-designed scheme will bring Amounderness House back into use after laying vacant for 20 years, with planning permission to create 6,400 sq ft of office space.

Neil Ainsworth, partner at the Preston-headquartered FWP, said: “This project will bring this long-disused building back into use as a modern office hub that meets the needs of businesses, while preserving its great character.

“The building’s original elements will be retained and sensitively redeveloped, with restoration work a key part of what is to come.”

The property was originally constructed in 1857 as a police station with holding cells, before being extended into a magistrates’ court in 1901.

Proposals for Amounderness House feature a 1,700 sq ft ground floor central hub and four commercial units, built in former courthouse cells and a new south wing extension.

Outside, the council car park will will be converted into a public space.

Notably, the development will retain “the form and features of the historic building fabric, wherever possible”, according to a design and access statement.

In February, it was announced that office provider W_rkspace will operate the hub.

The £7.4m project is one of six planned under Preston’s £200m Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme. The government awarded Preston £20.9m from its National Towns Fund initiative towards the programme in March 2021, through which the city wishes to transform its historic buildings to provide leisure and employment facilities.

Maple Grove Developments is working with Preston City Council as project manager under the Lancashire Regeneration Property Partnership to deliver the project.

Smith & Love Planning Consultants submitted the application on behalf of the council. The project team also includes SCP Transport, Eden Heritage, E3P, TRP Consulting, and Graham Schofield Associates.

Frank Whittle Partnerships designed the scheme. Credit: via planning documents

Goosnargh Golf Club

Application number: 06/2022/1406

Preston-based GHV will redevelop the former 9-hole pay-and-play course off Inglewhite Road to create a holiday park in Garstang, following the city council’s approval.

Frank Whittle Partnerships is the architect behind the £7m redevelopment, which will see the creation of 130 lodges, 26 caravan pitches, and 14 office pods in the village of Goosnargh.

Proposals for the 64-acre site also include a holiday village facility building, featuring an indoor heated pool, tennis courts, a games room, bar, restaurant, and spa.

Neil Ainsworth, partner at FWP, said: “We have worked hard to create a very special place, a rural retreat to help people reconnect with the great outdoors.

“The lodges are modern and stylish and in keeping with the location and the attractions planned, including the spa, will also make staying in the village a memorable experience”, he continued.

“We have placed nature and the environment at the heart of the plans, with woodland and water features creating stunning views and a real sense of tranquility.”

It is estimated that the scheme could create a £1.9m annual boost in visitor spending in the immediate area, with a further £2.3m coming in the form of wages paid to locally recruited staff. A further 45 jobs will be created among the local building supply chain during construction.

Goosnargh Golf Course was opened as a ‘pay as you go’ facility in 2005 and closed at the start of the pandemic.

Plans were submitted for the scheme in January, following a two-stage public consultation last autumn.

Peter Allen, director of GHV, said: “This is great news for our local community and I welcome the committee’s approval of our proposals after such careful consideration.

“Our plans enjoyed broad support amongst the community and we worked hard to accommodate the needs and concerns of nearby residents, which was recognised by the committee.”

PWA Planning is the scheme’s planning consultant. The project team also includes Miller Goodall, Eddisons, and Allen Archaeology.