Preston consents 525 homes, Home Bargains, 150,000 sq ft factory

Amid a raft of approvals, the city council’s planning committee also refused Story Homes’ plans for 283 homes off Lea Road.

Guild Tower 

The scheme features a running track. Credit: via Freshfields

Developer: Yates Capital

Planner: PWA Planning

Architect: RPS Design Group

Planning reference: 06/2024/083

Yates Capital plans to redevelop the 15-storey Guild Tower on Church Row into 115 apartments.

Located in Preston city centre, the vacant 70,000 sq ft office block was put up for sale for £3.5m last year. Lancashire-based Yates Capital, which is also behind the Hy Hotels brand, can now complete its acquisition of the site, which was agreed subject to planning.

The Guild Tower will be converted from an office block to a residential complex comprising one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.

The plan would see significant improvements made to the building, including the installation of new cladding.

Resident amenities proposed within the scheme include a gym and an outdoor exercise and relaxation space for residents on the currently unused flat roof of the building’s first and second storeys.

This space would feature a running track, exercise equipment, green landscaping and benches.

A living green wall is planned on the exterior of the first and second floor on two sides of the 1970s building.

Church Street

The scheme falls within the Stoneygate regeneration zone. Credit: via BellPress

Developer: The Averill Group

Planner: Scalia Planning

Architect: DAY Architectural

Planning reference: 06/2023/1316

Three blocks rising to 19 storeys can now be built on the corner of Church Street and Manchester Road,Amid a raft of approvals, the city council’s planning committee also refused Story Homes’ plans for 283 homes off Lea Road. , following approval by Preston City Council.

The Averill Group, headed up by Luke Averill, submitted an application for 280 one- and two-bedroom apartments on the site late last year.

The tallest element of the scheme has been set back from Church Street to preserve views of nearby Preston Minster.

The majority of the existing commercial buildings on the site will be demolished to pave the way for the development but 131 Church Street will be retained.

TAG does not propose to include any affordable homes within the development, claiming the scheme is of too high quality to support the delivery of discount homes.

Also on the project team is Zerum, Futureserv, TPM Landscape, MB Heritage, ERAP, Adept Consulting Engineers, SK Transport Planning, Arcaero, GIA Surveyors, Noise Air, Jensen Hughes, TC Property, and RAD.

Home Bargains 

The unit has been empty since 2015. Credit: Google Earth

Developer: TJ Morris

Planner: Quod

Planning reference: 06/2024/0340

TJ Morris’s discount retail brand has secured permission to occupy the long-vacant 24,000 sq ft store that neighbours Deepdale Shopping Park.

The fast-growing Home Bargains will take over the former PC World store off Blackpool Road, which has been empty since 2015.

TJ Morris submitted an application to the city council that sought to amend the conditions of the historic planning consent for the vacant unit. The store was constructed around 20 years ago along with another next door currently occupied by Currys.

The existing consent limits what type of goods can be sold from the unit. TJ Morris has been successful in tweaking it so that up to 30% of the shop can be used to stock food and drink.

There are several other Home Bargains stores in Preston including on Deepdale Road, Queens Shopping Park, Market Place, and the Capitol Centre.

The Blackpool store will serve residents in the eastern and northern part of the city, according to a planning statement by Quod.

The business currently has more than 600 stores throughout the UK and plans to expand to over 1,200 stores.

Tabley Lane 

Redrow is keen to push on with its Tabley Lane development. Credit: via planning docs

Developer: Redrow Homes

Planner: In-house

Architect: In-house

Planning reference: 06/2024/0271

The consent Redrow already held for the 23-acre site off Tabley Lane was due to expire this month. Now, the housebuilder is in possession of a fresh planning permission, affording it more time to complete the purchase of land, carry out pre-conditions, and start on site.

Outline permission was granted three years ago for up to 200 homes on the 23-acre site off Tabley Lane.

Reserved matters, which included ringfencing four-acres of land for a primary school, and establishing noise mitigation measures, were approved a few months later.

Due to nearing the expiry date, Redrow submitted a fresh application to the city council which covers appearance, landscaping, layout and scale, seeking a two-year extension to the permission.

This tranche of homes would mark the next phase of a larger 330-home scheme which has been in development for more than a decade.

The development is comprised of 115 four-bedroom detached houses and 15 three-bedroom detached homes, including driveways and garages with each property.

There will also be nearly six acres of public open space, including a playground.

The project team working on these reserved matters includes Trevor Bridge Associates, Turley, Lees Roxburgh, Urban Green, Hepworth Acoustics and RJP.

Kerakoll shed 

The factory will reach 36 metres at its tallest point. Credit: via planning documents

Developer: Tilemaster Adhesives/Kerakol

Planner: WSP

Architect: Campbell Driver Partnership

Planning reference: 06/2023/0844

The adhesives manufacturer plans to redevelop a chunk of HBD Barnfield’s 62-acre site east of Roman Way Industrial Estate.

Kerakol, which acquired Tilemaster in 2017, proposes creating a 150,000 sq ft facilityas part of a wider 800,000 sq ft masterplan. HBD Barnfield lodged outline plans for 12 sheds on the site last year.

Kerakoll wants to create a 24,000 sq ft production tower, a 100,000 sq ft high intensity storage facility, and 21,000 sq ft of offices on 6.6 acres of the site. The factory will have a maximum height of 36 metres.

The scheme “facilitates the bespoke needs of Kerakoll and is a tailored development to relocate existing operations from elsewhere in the borough” according to a planning statement prepared by WSP.

Tilemaster is currently based on Tomlinson Road in Leyland and will relocate to Roman Way, which is around 10 miles north.

“The development of this site is a key priority for the applicant. The site is deliverable, and it is programmed to be operational by summer 2025” the planning statement adds.