Future of historic former Preston pub to be decided

Senior Preston councillors are being urged to delay plans to demolish an historic pub – and instead consider whether it could be turned to a heritage centre for the city.

Preston City Council’s cabinet has been sent a proposal for the conversion of derelict hostelry ‘The Tithebarn’ – which campaigners claim could save the authority up to £350,000.

The document, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), was issued to cabinet members by community group Preserving Preston’s Heritage (PPH) on Monday – 48 hours before a meeting on Wednesday afternoon at which they are expected to agree to send in the bulldozers to flatten the city centre venue.

The former pub – which stands on the corner of Tithebarn Street and Lord Street, opposite the bus station – called time for the final time in 2016.

The city council announced last month that it planned to flatten the unlisted building – believed to date back to 1793 – after it was deemed to be in “a dangerous condition” following a structural survey.

The direct appeal by PPH – which follows a more detailed submission previously made by the group, already attached to the cabinet agenda for members to consider – asks for a “grace period” to allow the heritage centre option to be explored.

The facility, alongside the under-construction Vault youth zone, would act as a visitor attraction focusing on the working lives of Prestonians down the years – as well as functioning as an education, research, gallery and workshop space.

The request is framed around not only the claimed benefits of the proposed new centre, but also the purported financial savings of going down the route of conversion rather than demolition.

Cabinet members have been told by PPH – a registered community interest company – that the Tithebarn site was originally made up of two distinct buildings:  a pub fronting Lord Street, which was first known as the Waggon and Horses, and a barn on Lord Street which stored grain and livestock bound for market.

Having commissioned their own assessment, PPH contend that while the original barn area is in need of demolition, the pub can be saved.  They say there are “no intrinsic issues more than would normally be found in a building not occupied for a decade” – and suggest the main problem is caused by a “minor roof issue” which should be a “straightforward fix”, paving the way for a full re-fit.

The paper sent to cabinet members estimates the partial demolition will cost £100,000 – half the amount the council is planning to set aside to clear the whole plot.

It also suggests that £150,000 will be saved by not having to landscape the vacant space that would be created by total demolition – along with £50,000-£100,000 as a result of not having to carry out remedial works to the adjoining walls of the Grade II-listed mill building, formerly known as Aladdin’s Cove warehouse, next door.

The document states that the total £350,000 cost saving is based on the work of “qualified professionals who are willing to validate their figures based on the information, access and time available during the preparation” of the estimate.

PPH says it has also secured funding to generate further “detailed, accurate costings” – adding that it is “only appropriate and responsible that the cabinet considers these final figures before making a permanent decision regarding the building’s fate”.

The group is inviting the council to consider undertaking the necessary demolition before transferring the site’s freehold, or offering a long lease at a peppercorn rent, to allow it to pursue the heritage centre project.   The former barn area – the walls of which it is proposed are retained – would become an enclosed garden.

The authority’s officers have recommended cabinet members reject the PPH proposal because the building is “beyond repair…no matter who owns it”.

They also warn that the group’s plan “relies on grant funding which has not been applied for and is not guaranteed”.

The council says a request to shore up the building before the transfer of ownership would also cost it £74,000  – although it is unclear if that would be necessary under the latest plan to demolish the barn and leave the pub standing.

Glenn Cookson, one of PPH’s directors, told the LDRS that the heritage centre blueprint – if it could be realised – would benefit both the local authority and the city itself.

“It’s addressing any safety concerns and is also preserving part of one of the oldest buildings on one of the oldest streets in Preston – as well as saving an awful amount of money for the public.

“PPH are a really versatile bunch of people and come from a wealth of different backgrounds and professions – architects, building surveyors, historians, school teachers, heritage experts and entrepreneurs – and we believe we will be able to pull this off,” Glenn said.

He added that the proposal had attracted a wealth of support from individuals and organisations.

Once in their ownership, PPH propose to use crowdfunding, matched by Lancashire County Council, to carry out emergency works, which would involve making the building watertight, clearing the interior, securing entrances and undertaking essential surveys.

The second phase of the scheme would see further fundraising, completion of a feasibility study and the development of a business plan and architectural vision for the centre.