Plans could save 19th Century pub building

A 225-year-old pub in Preston could be partially saved in revised plans the council will consider next week.

Preston City Council had intended to demolish The Tithebarn in its entirety, after it was deemed to be in a dangerous condition.

But the plan was paused after an assessment by Preserving Preston's Heritage (PPH) found part of the building could be saved and turned into a Preston heritage centre.

A report by planning officers will be presented to councillors on Thursday 3 July to help them decide whether to demolish the whole property.

The report noted the former pub, last open in February 2016, was "one of the last remaining buildings from the early 19th Century" in that part of Preston.

But it also concluded the partial demolition of the pub would have a "negligible" impact on the setting of the protected property.

PPH found the part of the pub fronting Lord Street could be saved, with only a one-time barn area, on Tithebarn Street, needing to be bulldozed.

Glenn Cookson, from PPH, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he believed a heritage centre, sited alongside the city's soon-to-open new youth zone, would still be the best plan for the plot.

"It would capture a lot of footfall, being close to the bus station, but also a big part of heritage needs to be about educating the younger generations", Mr Cookson said.

He added that the support for the campaign to save the pub proved how important Preston's heritage was to locals, and that "with a bit of creativity behind some of these older buildings, a lot can be achieved".

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