Spud Bros change set for green light

Preston’s Spud Bros look set to be granted permission to replace the city’s iconic hot potato tram with a larger unit.

The renowned potato purveyors – who have amassed more than four million followers on Tik Tok and recently announced plans to open dozens of branches across the UK and around the world – want to expand their original Flag Market base as their popularity continues to grow.

The proposed overhaul would see a new kiosk installed in the business’s current location, which attracts visitors from far beyond Preston. The revamped outlet – made up of a pair of adjoining shipping containers – would be double the width of the one it would replace and also slightly higher.

Members of Preston City Council’s planning committee have been advised by the authority’s planning officers to approve the change when they meet on 3rd July.

Their recommendation comes in spite of the acknowledged “less than substantial” harm the new unit would cause to the Market Place Conservation Area – where it would stand directly in front of the Grade I-listed Harris Museum and just yards from Preston’s Cenotaph. Sessions House and the former main post office – both Grade II-listed – also border the site.

The containers would be aluminum-clad – 6.2 metres wide, five metres deep and just over three metres tall – and murals would be painted on three sides, with the one facing the war memorial having a remembrance theme.

The Victorian Society has objected to the move, warning that the impact on the conservation area and the setting of the listed buildings “should not be understated”.

“The market in Flag Market Square is characterised by its temporary stalls and pop-up nature.

“To have any kind of permanent structure here, other than the listed market obelisk itself, would be to fundamentally change the nature of the market and encroach on otherwise traditional and historic commercial practices, introducing an uncharacteristic structure into a very sensitive setting,” the society says, suggesting a shop base would be a better option.

However, planning officers state that the “public benefits” of the proposal tip the balance towards approving it.

“The success of this business in its prominent location on the Flag Market contributes to the city centre by building a strong, responsive economy, on land in the right place at the right time to support growth,” their report to committee members notes.

Although the containers would be fixed in place, they are not deemed a permanent structure as they can be removed – meaning any impact or harm is “reversible”, councillors will be told. Permission would be granted only for five years.

Documents submitted in support of the application – on behalf of Spud Bros Jacob and Harley Nelson – stress the “immense” social and community impact that their venture has had around Preston since it took off in 2024.

A hot potato tram first came to Preston city centre back in 1955 and has been a fixture almost ever since.