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Guild Tower apartments plan set for approval with affordable housing element ‘waived’

Posted on - 30th May, 2024 - 7:00am | Author - | Posted in - Housing, Preston City Centre, Preston Council, Preston News, Redevelopment
How the new look Guild Tower is due to look as viewed from the Bus Station plaza

An empty office block that towers over Preston city centre looks set to be given the nod for a new use.

The Guild Tower’s new future as being converted into apartments will be heard by councillors next week.

Lodged back in January, the scheme from Dan Yates of Yates Capital, wants to put 115 apartments across the first to 15th floor of the tower.

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It sits overlooking the Bus Station plaza, the Guild Hall and into Church Street.

There would be a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments spread across the floors.

Mr Yates, said back in January when lodging the application: “This will be a fully private rented scheme which we intend to market under our recently launched Hy Living brand. The concept of Hy Living is to provide city living that blends the comfort of home with the luxury of a hotel with features like a 24/7 concierge service, gym and spa facilities.”

Council officers within Preston City Council’s planning department have endorsed the scheme for approval – saying “the current proposal would result in the redevelopment of a brownfield site within a sustainable location in Preston.”

They have also recommended the Guild Tower scheme benefits from a ‘vacant building credit’ meaning any requirement to have a number of the apartments as ‘affordable housing’ is waived.

An aerial view of the Hy Living site

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Documents submitted to the city council’s planning committee – due to meet on Thursday 8 June – highlight Lancashire County Council is demanding £112,000 from the developers to help fund primary school places as a result of the development.

Blog Preston approached both Yates Capital and PWA Planning – their agents – ahead of the planning meeting but both declined to comment.

The building was previously due to be developed by the late Simon Rigby who had plans in 2016 to convert the building into Villa Urban – a £10 million hotel and leisure complex. But these were put on hold following his death in 2019.

Level – which continues to be operated by The Rigby Organisation – is unaffected by the plans and would continue to trade and is not part of the application.

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