In 2011, grand plans for the £700m redevelopment of Preston’s city centre that focused on a huge shopping centre fell apart in the wake of the financial crash. What had been vaunted as the city's lifeline at a time of economic growth was no longer viable as the investment of large national companies fell through, and the council was left without a plan.
Yet, by 2018 Preston was voted the UK’s most improved city to live and work and in 2020 it achieved its highest employment rate and lowest levels of economic inactivity for more than fifteen years. Council-owned heritage structures such as Preston bus station and the Grade II listed covered market have been saved and refurbished, and there are even plans for a publicly-owned cinema and leisure complex.
Joining us in conversation, Matthew Brown, leader of Preston City Council, and writer Rhian E. Jones – co-authors of a new book about the Preston Model and its wider potential – and local architect and educator Lee Ivett will explore the reimagining of a city through its local government, and the wider impacts of these changes on its built environment. The conversation will be chaired by Open City’s programmes and communities manager, Rhea Martin.
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