Huge 770,000 sq ft Preston office district given go-ahead

Martin Property Group has been granted outline permission for five buildings up to 15 storeys on the Fishergate shopping centre’s 6.4-acre car park.

Designed by BDP and approved by Preston City Council’s planning committee last week, the office cluster would deliver 770,000 sq ft of workspace, significantly amping up the city’s supply of office accommodation.

The scheme would be well connected by rail, being located yards from the city’s train station, but would likely require public backing or a large pre-let to bring forward. The viability of office development is constrained nationally, particularly in the regions where rents are typically lower and the cost of construction remains high.

MPG bought the Fishergate shopping centre for £8m in 2021 and lodged plans for the office complex late in 2025.

The largest of the buildings would be around 250,000 sq ft and rise to 15 storeys. It would be located south of TJ Hughes in the north-east corner of the site.

Two 11-storey buildings and another rising to nine would offer around 150,000 sq ft each. The smallest building would provide around 120,000 sq ft across its seven storeys – it would be located on the southernmost part of the site.

The site falls within an area governed by Preston City Council’s Station Quarter Regeneration Framework, adopted in 2022. The framework focuses on the growth opportunities presented by development sites around the station, the busiest in Lancashire.

Maddox Planning advised MPG on the plans.

To learn more, search for reference number 06/2025/1205 on Preston City Council’s planning portal.