Amounderness House currently stands empty Pic: Paul Swarbrick
Another grade-II listed building in Preston city centre is to go on the market.
Preston City Council is preparing to try and offload Amounderness House in Earl Street.
The old law court building is to be sold and the leader of the council says it is the ‘right time’ due to the amount of development happening in the city.
Amounderness House is falling into disrepair, as a visit by the Preston Historical Society in 2013 shows, and it has the cells still intact from when it was a working court.
Read more: Pictures inside the Amounderness House
Leader of the city council councillor Peter Rankin said: “The Grade II listed old law court building, Amounderness House, is in a key location within Preston City Centre, offering a great opportunity to the right developer.
“By the end of 2017, the immediate area will be uplifted by both the refurbished old Post Office Building and the completion and opening of the new Preston Markets. This will be an ideal time to take Amounderness House to market.”
Inside the former law courts Pic: Paul Swarbrick
The city council says it will put together a ‘development brief’ and market the building in a similar way to the old Post Office.
Work on Preston’s new Indoor Market, which will be under the current Covered Market, is due to begin in mid-January.
The city council has begun selling many of the buildings it owns, with the Guild Hall transferred to Simon Rigby, the Bus Station to Lancashire County Council and the old Post Office to Signature Living hotels.
What do you think of the decision to sell Amounderness House? What do you think it should become? Let us know in the comments below