A bowling alley is set to be included in a revised proposal for the new cinema and restaurants scheme in Preston city centre.

The 16-lane alley will be listed alongside plans for an eight-screen cinema, numerous restaurants and a new multi-storey car park, when the new submission is made this spring.

Clearance work – which has been ongoing at the site of the former indoor market and car park since January 2019 – is now complete, and the redevelopment is expected to start in early 2021.

Preston City Council is working with Maple Grove and Muse Developments on the 160,000 sq ft scheme, which has been designed by Leach Rhodes Walker.

Read more: Preston Markets Cinema scheme sees new developers brought in

Councillor Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council, said: “This cutting-edge and integrated leisure development will reinforce the Harris Quarter as a premier cultural and leisure destination in Lancashire.

“It will help our city centre to thrive as well as promoting an inclusive economy with the development in the ownership of the city when complete.”

Andrew Dewhurst, director at Maple Grove Developments, said: “With the site now cleared we are focused on submitting the revised application in the spring. 

“The inclusion of bowling will add another dimension to the retail and leisure offer and will be a superb addition to Preston city centre.

“We have had a lot of interest in the scheme from a wide variety of leisure operators and it is great to see the first phase of remediation work now complete.”

In February 2019 it was confirmed the flagship regeneration scheme for the city had slipped back by a year, and would also no longer include the demolition of Lancastria House.

Once planning permission has been secured, the development will be formally launched with a new identity.

Read more: News from Preston Markets

What do you think to the addition of bowling to the plans? Let us know in the comments.