Preston's former Horrocks Yard Works site 380 homes plan approved

Horrocks Mill development could provide a big boost to affordable housing in the city, councillors say

Hundreds of new homes are set to spring up on a former site of a cotton mill almost 60 years after most of it was flattened for development.

Plans for a mixture of 380 townhouses and apartments on land once occupied by the Horrocks Yard Works has been given the green light by the city council.

The late 18th-century factory, which sits alongside the Queens Retail Park, was cleared in 1965 and dubbed the "most neglected area" of Preston.

Recently it has been a car park.

The Horrocks Mill development will include eight apartment blocks, ranging from two storeys on the Cotton Court site to a maximum of 10 storeys facing Queen Street, as well as four-storey townhouses.

The location has been the subject of a slew of unfulfilled proposals for shops, offices and housing down the decades and has been used as a temporary car park and storage facility in recent years, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Work on the project could start in 2025, councillors heard

The site has been used as a car park and storage facility in recent years

Planning Committee chairman, councillor Javed Iqbal, described the area as "the most neglected in the town centre".

The committee heard how Onward Homes had successfully argued its proposed scheme would not be financially viable should it have to make the social and infrastructure contributions Preston's planning policies would usually demand.

Those included a £4.3m payment towards school places as well as a stipulation that at least 30% of the properties be classed as affordable.

Peter Tooher, agent for the application, said the scheme "will accommodate a range of homes accessible to the local community, [which] will cater for a range of needs - from single-person households to larger families".

The site in the Stoneygate area is due to be regenerated as part of a plan to boost city centre living

Work is expected to begin at some point in 2025, following the process of drawing up detailed designs, which will be subject to further council approval.

Councillor David Borrow said the development would "provide a big boost to affordable living within the city centre".

However, councillor Jennifer Mein said it was "very disappointing" the requested school place contribution was not being fulfilled.

Onward tweeted on X after the meeting that it looked forward "to further improving the quality and choice of affordable housing in this great northern city".

The site sits within the wider Stoneygate area, which is subject to a regeneration plan designed to boost city centre living, and close to the redevelopment of another former mill site - Dryden Mills - approved earlier this year for 469 apartment properties.

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