Revised plans for Preston’s £9m Amounderness House as costs rise

Preston City Council has tweaked proposals to transform the grade two-listed former magistrates court into workspace to reduce costs.

An application has been lodged to alter the original design, notably the courtyard façades and new build elements.

Rather than a full demolition of the south wing, it will be retained and remodelled and a new façade will be constructed.

Permission for modifications to the internal layout and the omission of an external substation have also been put forward.

Cllr Valerie Wise, cabinet member for community wealth building and city regeneration at Preston City Council, said: “Due to market fluctuations and the rising cost of materials, the cost of the Amounderness House refurbishment scheme has increased.

“As a result, Preston City Council has had to revise the plans to reduce cost and secure additional funding from £7.4m to £9m.”

She continued: “The council remains committed to bringing this listed building back to life after 30 vacant years with a renewed purpose.

“The regeneration of Amounderness House, alongside other important heritage assets in the city, is critical to the regeneration of Preston’s historic Harris Quarter, and the overall ambitions, future sustainability, and economic wealth of the city as the leading commercial hub of Lancashire, and the third largest city in the North West.

“The planning application and listed building consent now need to be revised for the scheme to start to progress, and as such, a start on site date is expected in summer 2025.

Overall, the scheme will see the building redeveloped into 14,700 sq ft of co-working space and 26 offices and studios.

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FWP Architects has designed the changes, and the updated plans were submitted on behalf of the council by S&L Planning.

Maple Grove Developments is carrying out the project with Preston City Council.

Nik Puttnam, development director, Maple Grove Developments, said: “Having been the development partner for Animate, which is due to open in spring this year, we are proud to be playing a key role in bringing back this listed building into use and contributing to the ongoing regeneration of the city.”

Amounderness House was built in 1857 as a police station with holding cells, before transitioning into a courthouse. It has stood unoccupied for more than 30 years.

Once it has been redeveloped into a working space, office space provider Workspace will operate the site.

Amounderness House sits opposite the Eric Wright-built £46m Animate cinema and leisure complex, which recently reached practical completion in November last year.

Alterations will be sympathetic to and will conserve the 19th-century building’s design, with complementary materials and sustainability factors a key part of regeneration considerations.

Amounderness House forms part of Preston’s Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme, the £200m drive to revive Preston’s city centre.

John Chesworth, chair of Preston’s Towns Fund Board, said he was looking forward to Amounderness House’s completion, calling it an “important facility that will help stimulate economic activity in the city”.

The newly altered planning application can be found using the reference number 06/2025/0086 on Preston City Council’s planning portal, the original application’s reference number is 06/2023/0888.