Fishergate offices proposed beside Preston railway station received backing from councillors at the city’s planning committee meeting on Thursday 5 November 2026. The committee supported Martin Property Group’s outline application for five office buildings on the car park serving Fishergate Shopping Centre. Local Democracy Reporting Service coverage on 6 November and Place North West on 9 November both reported the decision. A formal planning decision notice has not been independently verified, so this is a committee resolution rather than confirmed issued permission.
The Fishergate offices scheme is an unusually large commercial regeneration proposal for Lancashire. The reported buildings range up to 15 storeys, with construction envisaged on the surface car park east of the railway station and south of the shopping centre. The developer’s wider ambitions extend beyond these buildings, but potential demolition and redevelopment of the centre itself would form a separate later phase, subject to its own planning consideration.
This matters for commercial developers because committee support is only one hurdle. A substantial new office district beside a busy station offers opportunities for new investment and jobs, but occupier demand, infrastructure funding and later detailed approvals can be every bit as demanding as winning a favourable committee vote. What happens at Fishergate could illustrate how city-centre employment projects progress beyond outline-stage planning.
Fishergate offices move through the committee stage
According to Place North West’s 9 November report, the scheme covers a 6.4-acre site owned by Martin Property Group. The company bought Fishergate Shopping Centre in 2021 and submitted its outline proposals in 2025. BDP has advised on the planning and design work, while the development fits the wider ambition to renew the district around Preston railway station.
The Lancashire Post’s Local Democracy Reporting Service account says councillors supported the outline plans on 5 November. Five blocks would contain modern Grade A workspace, with the tallest rising to 15 storeys. The council’s official planning committee page confirms the meeting date. Neither the journalist’s account nor a favourable committee vote is a substitute for examining the final decision notice and any planning conditions.
Even where an outline consent is eventually issued, important matters normally remain reserved for later detailed submissions. The scope and sequence of the Fishergate offices therefore matter as much as the committee headline. An outline resolution does not itself mean construction can begin immediately or that the whole of the wider regeneration programme has received consent.
A new commercial district beside Preston station
The first stage would replace the large parking areas adjoining Fishergate Shopping Centre, bringing a group of multi-storey buildings and supporting public spaces close to rail services. Reports describe a stepped arrangement with different building heights across the site. The land sits within the Station Quarter Regeneration Framework, adopted by Preston City Council in 2022 to guide development around this important entrance to the city.
Supporters argue that an accessible office location can draw employers seeking modern premises close to public transport. That could strengthen the economic role of Preston’s centre and create opportunities for businesses already operating around the station. However, the physical design, site access and changes to existing car parking also deserve attention. Those are practical questions that affect both the development and neighbouring commercial uses.
Fishergate offices are only the initial development phase. Separate proposals have previously envisaged a more extensive transformation of the shopping centre, potentially including its removal and new residential, leisure and retail development around a public square. These are broader aspirations, not permissions granted by the November committee discussion. The distinction is essential for existing tenants, nearby residents and investors considering how soon a different townscape might emerge.
Office demand, phasing and viability
Market demand was a theme of the reported committee debate. Local Democracy Reporting Service coverage says committee member Councillor Harry Landless questioned whether a large concentration of new office space would attract enough occupiers in a period of changing working patterns. David Staniland of BDP, the agent for the application, reportedly said the applicant wouldn’t be doing it
without commercial advice indicating demand. That is an attributed statement, not a verified forecast of signed pre-lets.
The developer reportedly plans to bring forward buildings in stages and to secure occupiers before substantial construction. This may reduce speculative exposure, but it also means progress could depend on lease commitments, funding, detailed design and wider economic conditions. A positive planning committee resolution is important but does not alone make the Fishergate offices commercially viable or ensure that every block will be built on the same timetable.
There is also an inconsistency in published floorspace totals. Place North West describes approximately 770,000 square feet, whereas the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports about 78,600 square metres. These are materially different quantities. Without independently reconciling the schedule of accommodation in the application, it would be misleading to present either figure as an undisputed measurement. Both sources agree that the development is a major five-building commercial proposal.
What the planning decision does and does not mean
The application reference reported by Place North West is 06/2025/1205. The next necessary step is to confirm an issued outline decision notice and its terms, including any conditions and matters reserved for approval. The Planning Geek guide to planning applications explains why the legal status of the decision and the work authorised by it must be kept separate from an applicant’s future aspirations.
For a site of this significance, later submissions may determine much of the visible built form and public realm. Businesses will also want to understand construction access, replacement parking, pedestrian links with the railway station, phasing and potential disruption. These matters cannot be assumed settled merely because elected members supported the broad scheme. The council’s formal documents and subsequent applications will determine the detail.
The wider lesson is familiar across many city-centre regeneration projects: planning and delivery are different tests. The proposed Fishergate offices received reported committee backing on 5 November, a commercially meaningful step that merits attention despite the later publication of the trade account. Whether that translates into a new office district beside Preston station will depend on formal permission, occupier commitments and the detailed applications that follow.
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