Former telephone exchange lined up for resi replacement
Just off Preston’s Garstang Road, the 1950s building has for 20 years been used for student accommodation, but could be razed for a new-build apartment project.
The applicant for the scheme is Premier Ground Rents No. 7, advised by PWA Planning and David Cox Architects.
Before submission, the proposals for 31 one- and two-bedroom flats had gone through two rounds of consultation with the local planning authority and statutory consultees, with the applicant stating this has informed the design.
Since 2001, the four-storey St Thomas Road building has housed a 42-bedspace student living block, branded as The Box. The plan is to demolish this and replace it with a new-build, which will feature setbacks on the upper floors to reduce visual impact.
Although at its highest points the new building will be six floors, “in most areas” it will be no higher than its predecessor, the submitted design & access statement said. The building will feature curved corners and active frontages.
In the planning statement, PWA Planning said that 22 of the flats will be one-bed, and nine two-bed. The planner also said that the applicant is prepared to make nine of the flats affordable, in line with the local policy requirement, with tenure to be decided at the stage of determination.
The Box is already listed as unavailable for students seeking accommodation on a booking site. Place has reported previously on how landlords are looking to take action to address dwindling demand from students in the city.
The proposals can be viewed on Preston’s planning portal, reference 06/2025/0620.
That additional storey to the rooftop setback extension looks totally disproportionate and out of scale with the rest of the building and surrounding building typology. It has a very urbanising impact on what looks like a relatively quiet side street. Does Preston have a Design Code I wonder..
By Planning Periscope
@August 14, 2025 at 1:21 pm
By Planning Periscope
It doesn’t. It should do.
This proposal is frustrating because it could potentially be very good. The top-heavy section undermines all the good work.
By Anonymous
The design looks overly heavy and not in keeping with surrounding buildings. The major concern is car parking. The area is already extremely congested without creating additional problems for the local residents.
By Anonymous