Towering ambition to transform Preston’s Guild Centre

THE latest stage in the regeneration of Preston city centre has been revealed by chief architects and master-planners, the Frank Whittle Partnership.

FWP is leading the rejuvenation of some of the city’s most important assets including the historic Victorian Market, the iconic 1970s Guild Hall and the former Park Hotel near the railway station.
 
Now, an ambitious £10m plan to transform Preston’s tallest office building into a stylish 105-room aparthotel with a casino, spa and gym have been submitted to city planners.
 
Seb Salisbury, architect at FWP, is leading the transformation of the Guild Hall and the 15-storey Guild Tower, which will be rebranded as Villa Urban.

It is strategically placed next to the city’s famous bus station, itself undergoing a major restoration and the addition of a Youth Zone.
 
He says the aparthotel will bring a new style of accommodation to the city centre in keeping with hotel trends in big cities across the UK and Europe.
 
The rooms have been designed to increase in size with the height of the building. The top four levels offer large 1,100sq ft-plus luxury suites with viewing balconies overlooking the city, duplex spaces and entertainment and cinema rooms.
 
The proposals include a 1,000sq ft casino on the first floor and a 6,000sq ft spa and leisure area as well as dedicated parking and drop off areas.
 
FWP’s proposals also include the creation of a new eye-catching entrance point into the Guild Hall, replacing the present bus station underpass.
 
The exterior of the building would also be transformed with a subtle ‘weave’ effect façade – described by FWP as “contemporary interpretation of Preston’s industrial past and an abstract representation of a cotton fabric pattern”.
 
Seb Salisbury said: “The plans we have submitted for the Guild Tower are part of an ambitious and visionary regeneration scheme to transform this part of Preston city centre.
 
“We’re already seeing that take shape in the way it is breathing new life into the Guild Hall. These are exciting times for Preston and we believe the plan we have developed for ‘Villa Urban’ adds to that growing feeling that positive things are happening in the city centre.
 
“We have put together plans for a stylish mixed-use development with a modern aparthotel that will attract visitors into the city centre, along with a casino and spa and gym facilities that are also designed to complement Guild Hall complex’s role as a 21st-century leisure destination.”