Plans in for mammoth 770,000 sq ft Preston office cluster 

Proposals from Martin Property Group for five buildings rising to 15 storeys next to the train station and the Fishergate shopping centre could transform the city’s workspace landscape.

MPG, which bought the Fishergate shopping centre for £8m in 2021, has lodged plans for the quintet of buildings totaling 770,000 sq ft to Preston City Council.

The scheme would be constructed on surface car parking south of the shopping centre and east of the train station and is the first of phase of a wider development.

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 circa 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.

Phase two could see three more buildings built on the site of Fishergate. Details on this element on the proposals have not yet been released.

MPG was contacted for comment. The developer is being advised by BDP and Studio 4 Design.

A planning statement prepared by BDP states that the proposal “will strengthen the gateway function of the Station East Quarter by creating a more attractive and welcoming environment characterised by a new public square and a finer urban grain”. 

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.

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

Mark Rawstron, property and regeneration spokesperson for Lancashire Business Board, which championed the recently published Lancashire Growth Plan, developed by Lancashire Combined County Authority and including the Preston Station Quarter, said: “Preston Station Quarter is a transformational initiative designed to unlock Preston’s potential as a dynamic commercial and residential hub.

“Anchored by almost £1bn of investment and its proximity to the National Cyber Force headquarters, the project will deliver high quality office space, housing and public realm to strengthen the city’s role as a regional growth engine and enhance east-west connectivity across Lancashire.”