Petition urges government intervention to support 'major venue' for Preston

More than 2,000 people have signed a new petition urging government intervention to support Preston in achieving its goal of having a major venue.

The petition, started by Blog Preston and supported by the public, city organisations and public figures across the Preston area, calls for Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, to provide resources and support to help the city with reopening a venue befitting a city.

This would be through either replacing, repairing or rebuilding Preston Guild Hall.

It came after Preston City Council confirmed its intention to try to resolve the issue of no major city venue by 2032 - but that in itself comes with uncertainty due to the prohibitory cost of building a new site.

The petition has been supported by Preston’s Business Improvement District, Preston’s Labour MP Mark Hendrick, Preston City Council’s leader Cllr Matthew Brown, Preston Partnership and various high profile figures in the arts and culture space across the city.

Kate Rosindale, Blog Preston’s co-editor who writes extensively about arts, culture and what’s on in the city, said: “It’s been heartening to see just how much support there is for restoring a major venue to the city – in some shape or form. Thanks to everyone who has already signed and shared.

“We hope the petition is acting as a place for people to send their message, and express their frustration at the status quo in a positive way so that a solution is found.

“We know it’s unlikely significant government funding would arrive as a result of a petition, but having the ear of the government in helping the council – who have said a solution is likely beyond their means or any future council – can’t be a bad thing. We hope everyone can get behind getting the show back on in the city.”

John Chesworth, chair, Preston Partnership, said: “Preston is a vibrant city with a proud cultural history and we need your Department’s support as a champion to ensure our communities have an equally proud cultural future to look forward to.

‘’We ask you to work closely with local partners to find the right solution for a modern, sustainable venue for the city that meets our cultural, community and business needs.’’

Sir Mark Hendrick, Labour MP for Preston, added: ‘’Sadly, the Guild Hall has been closed since 2019, and with the potential further twelve month delay, there is no clear timeline for when a major venue will be operating again within the city.

“The Guild Hall has been vital for our children, communities, city centre businesses and nightlife. It is essential that Preston has a major cultural venue in our city, given that it is the third largest city in the North West after Liverpool and Manchester. My constituents have been left without a cultural venue to celebrate, enjoy and socialise for far too long and regeneration in this area is very much needed. Investment in our city centre is fundamental to ensuring that Preston has a viable cultural offer.

“I would be grateful if the Government could explore significant investment to reinstate a large-scale cultural hub in the heart of our city.”

Preston has been without a venue capable of hosting medium or big name touring acts since the 2019 closure of the Guild Hall. It was reacquired by local authority Preston City Council in 2023 but the discovery of RAAC in the roof means that it has been deemed unsafe to reopen.

That, in itself, followed the 2014 closure of 53 Degrees.

Preston is blessed with a number of grassroots venues, such as The Ferret, New Continental and Vinyl Tap, hosting artists playing original music on a regular basis.

But only BBC Radio 2 in the Park in 2024 provided the city with its taste of household names performing in recent years.

The petition is available here: https://www.change.org/p/preston-guild-hall-let-s-get-the-show-back-on-in-preston-lisa-nandy