Preston City Council has agreed a detailed report on the Preston Station Quarter Regeneration Framework (SQRF).
The SQRF was produced by a team of consultants, led by BDP, working on behalf of, and in partnership with Lancashire County Council, Preston City Council and UCLan.
The regeneration of the area around Preston Railway Station is located almost entirely within Preston City Centre, with part of the framework area located within the Corporation Street and Winckley Square Opportunity Areas, which are defined in the City Centre Plan for mixed use development.
The framework encourages improvement to the public realm and pedestrian environment.
This is a recognition of the strategic importance of Preston Station to the ongoing success of the city centre and of the potential for significant investment and development on several adjacent sites.
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The framework provides guidance on how the Council would like to see the requirements of the City Centre Plan, as is relevant to the SQRF area, implemented.
It also provides guidance on increasing the amount of homes, offices and commercial development in the regeneration area and on accommodating the expansion of UCLan’s facilities.
However, such development opportunity sites are not allocations in the SQRF. An area profile, design principles and illustrative design guidance is provided with four character areas identified.
These Character Areas and the development envisaged within them is summarised below for UCLan and the university walk: “Covering most of the Corporation Street Opportunity Area, the Character Area should include education, enterprise and innovation development, with scope for some residential use.
“Corporation Street and Ringway should accommodate development with prominence, containing mixed use active frontages. Provision of public realm improvements to promote active travel at Corporation Street.”
A draft version of the framework was consulted upon and open to the public for comments for a period of four weeks from March 23, 2022 to April 20, 2022.
A total of 42 responses were received and two can be summarised as below.
A spokesperson for the West Coast Partnership said: “Avanti welcomes the vision for regenerating and making better use of prime land that is well-connected to a mainline railway hub, that has, perhaps, been under-utilised historically.”
Sport England acknowledges that the draft framework does not appear to advocate the loss of sport facilities, a spokesperson said: “New residential development could create additional demand for sports facilities. The framework should look to ensure existing facilities have capacity, if not, ensure improvements to existing facilities.”
Sport England acknowledges that the draft framework does not appear to advocate the loss of sport facilities.
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A spokesperson said: “Preston will require a station that’s fit for purpose and future proofed. In achieving this, the station needs significant enhancements. Appropriate funding need to be secured to achieve this, and that development work is done in unison with the Council’s wider regeneration scheme.”
The impact statement from service users said: “Having an SQRF in place will encourage active travel and the provision of and improvement to the public realm, thereby positively impacting on public health of people within or visiting the area.
“This is because such measures, together with increased provision and choice of housing in the area, the resultant opportunities for human interaction and incorporation of green infrastructure, should positively impact on well- being, mental health and activity levels, thereby also contributing to improved physical health.”
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