Church Street pub plans abandoned because nobody wanted to open

The site at Church Street. Credit: Blog Preston

Part of a renovated building in Preston city centre is set to be converted into a takeaway and shop – after a plan to reopen it as a pub was abandoned.

After the ground floor of the former Derby Court Hotel premises – on the corner of Church Street and Pole Street – became vacant and was left to decay for several years, a major refurbishment was given the green light in 2019.

That permitted turning three components of the mixed-use building – a pub, function room and hotel offices – into six self-contained units, one of which was to be a smaller hostelry than the one that previously stood on the site. The hotel rooms remained upstairs and have now become 16 flats, spread across the two upper floors.

According to a planning application by Lineneed Ltd. – the firm behind that revamp – the “once derelict and dilapidated” building has been given “a new lease of life and is thriving”. However, while three of the six units are operating and two others are ready to be occupied, the one earmarked for a pub still stands empty.

Documents submitted to Preston City Council planners state that the premises have been marketed for that use for 12 months, but “no interest has been shown”.

The plan now is to sub-divide the unit once again, to create a takeaway and a separate general retail space, the exact nature of which has not been specified.

Making the case for approving the change, the application adds: “The front of the building will be refurbished with new aluminium windows and doors to match the existing building. The work carried out to the building will be of a very high standard and will help to improve the street scene and the area in general.

“Lineneed Ltd has invested heavily in this part of the city and is definitely helping to change it for the better.”

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