An increasing number of empty shop fronts have given a sad look to many of the main shopping areas in the city centre

The deadline in a competition to bring unused spaces in Preston back into use has been extended.

The Forgotten Spaces deadline is now until Thursday 25 April for budding architects and professional ones alike to come up with uses for empty shops, scrubland or derelict buildings in the city.

A list of sites from Preston City Council has been put forward to be redeveloped or improved and those with ideas can win up to £5,000 with their proposals.

Leader of Preston City Council Peter Rankin said: “Preston has some fantastic development opportunities and this a great chance for architects to explore Preston’s forgotten spaces and view it from a different perspective, providing inspiration to developers, fellow architects and the people of Preston alike.

“We look forward to the seeing the entries and the final selection which will be displayed as an exhibition later in the year.”

The competition is organised and sponsored by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

RIBA president, Angela Brady said: “Forgotten Spaces provides a fantastic opportunity for architects and designers to lead regeneration by seeking out and improving an ‘eyesore’ in their local area.

“These inspired ideas will be shared with a public audience, including local authorities, investors and developers. It forms a test bed for ideas for those ‘left over spaces’ and shows what our towns and cities could look like with a little bit of inspiration.”

To help those thinking of entering there will be a workshop held at the University of Central Lancashire on Saturday 13 April.

It will put the competition brief in context and give those interested a chance to discuss possible solutions for the empty spaces. Registration is via the RIBA website.

The winning Preston ideas will be displayed in an exhibition at the old Post Office building in the Autumn.

Registration for Forgotten Spaces now closes on Thursday 25 April and the deadline for getting entries in is now Thursday 9 May 2013. It costs £25 to enter per scheme.

Full details and how to enter are on the RIBA website.

What empty spaces in the city do you walk past and think “I wish something was there?” Let us know in the comments below