Plans for 30-storey tower in Preston

A £40m plan has been unveiled for a 30-storey tower in Preston — set to become Lancashire’s tallest building. 

A £40m, 30-storey tower branded Altura has been lodged with Preston City Council for a site off Derby Street/Lords Walk, next to the bus station. The 96-metre scheme would become Lancashire’s tallest building, edging past the 94-metre spire of St Walburge’s Church.

What’s proposed:

• 218 apartments: 163 one-bed and 55 two-bed, each with winter-garden balconies. 

• Seven Grade-A office spaces (approx. 6,700 sq ft / 622 sq m). 

• Resident amenities: gym, Pilates studio, games room, residents-only cinema, communal lounge, 24-hour concierge, CCTV and fob-access. High-speed internet planned as standard. 

• Parking for residents and workers on a secure, gated site across the road.

Who’s behind it
Developer: TSS Property (Preston-based). Architect: David Cox Architects. The team also includes S&L Planning Consultants, PDS Vision, TPM Landscapes, Reid Jones and Tetra Tech. TSS is currently completing the nearby City Walk BTR scheme on Lords Walk. 

Planning status & timetable

• Application type: Outline.

• Reference: 06/2025/0818 (Preston City Council planning portal). 

• Registered: 26 August 2025; decision expected later this year. 

• Build time: c. 30 months from start on site; TSS anticipates a 2027 start. 

Viability & contributions
TSS’s submission says the scheme cannot viably include affordable housing or other planning contributions; the council will subject that claim to a formal viability review as part of determining the application. 

Design journey
The project has been in development for around three years and underwent RIBA design reviews. Earlier 20- and 33-storey options evolved into the current twin-block “slab” concept described by the panel as “refined and elegant”. 

Sustainability notes
The design aims for Band-B EPC performance, with internal air-source heat pumps, improved fabric efficiency and MVHR ventilation. On-site construction is expected to sustain up to 60 jobs. 

How tall is 96 m in local context?

• Altura (proposed): 96 m, 30 storeys. 

• St Walburge’s Church, Preston: 94 m (tallest existing building in Lancashire). 

• Guild Centre (Guild Tower), Preston: ~61 m, 15–16 storeys.

• Blackburn Town Hall tower block: ~60 m. 

• Walter Robinson Court, Blackpool: ~64 m (tall residential tower). - now demolished.

• Blackpool Tower: 158 m (taller overall, but classed as a tower/structure, not a habitable building). 

Site particulars
The plot is a surface car park between the bus station and Church Street, on the corner of Derby Street and Lords Walk—steps from recent regeneration sites.