Preston tower block shelved for redesign

Plans to build one of the tallest tower blocks in Lancashire have been halted amid a redesign.

An application to build a 23-storey apartment block in Preston city centre has been withdrawn while developers make the scheme "more planning compliant", the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

The blueprint for the proposed Church Row development was put before Preston City Council almost 12 months ago.

The 65m (213ft) block was set to have 120 apartments and a ground-floor retail unit, and would have become the tallest in Preston.

The plan was a rethink of an earlier plan to construct a distinctive sloping tower block on the site - which was given the green light by the authority back in 2020 but never got off the ground.

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An extra two storeys had been added to the block, from the 21 originally proposed, while the number of individual apartments was increased from 80 to 120.

Mohammed Afaq, from 1618 Architects told the LDRS that the firm and applicant Mustaq Bhailok were going to continue to work with the city council in order to "come back with a more planning compliant scheme".

Bhailok said it would not be financially viable to meet a local planning policy requirement for 30% of the apartments to fall into the discounted affordable homes category.

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