Our first #InTheCity event of 2026 brought Preston Partnership members and guests together at OneCoWork. We welcomed over 80 business and civic leaders, entrepreneurs and their teams to explore Preston’s residential sector.
Preston Partnership Update
Chair of Preston Partnership John Chesworth provided an update on activity, including Preston’s response to the consultation on Local Government Reorganisation; the Partnership’s new free membership; and sponsorship of the first Proud Preston Awards.
Housing Delivery in Preston
Director of Development and Housing for Preston City Council, Chris Hayward opened his presentation with a quote from housebuilding lobby group Britain Remade:
Relative to its housing targets, Preston built more housing than anywhere else in England from 2021 to 2024. Since local housing targets were introduced in 2018, Preston has exceeded its target by a substantial margin every year.
Chris’ point? That there are lessons that other cities can learn from Preston.
Chris explored in more detail the reasons for this growth, particularly the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal which provided essential infrastructure to support the scale of housing growth in North-West Preston as well as the role of the Central Lancashire Local Plan, and cultural change in the Council and on the Planning Committee.
Chris went on to talk about Making Homes from Houses Project working with Gateway Housing Association to bring empty homes back to life.
Chris highlighted the work of Preston’s City Living Strategy in promoting residential opportunities in the City Centre.
Panel Discussion
Following his presentation, Chris joined our panel to broaden out the discussion on residential activity in the city.
- John Heaton, Managing Director for the Heaton Group – a specialist property company with a portfolio and pipeline of residential and commercial developments throughout the North West. John talked about their pioneering residential developers in Preston City Centre, including the exciting plans for the Park Hotel.
- Stuart Sage, Founder and Director of Hive Land and Planning, an award-winning planning and surveying practice. Stuart talked about the work they are doing with Preston City Council, Homes England and developers to deliver the City Centre Living Strategy (put link here)
- Claire Lowe, Head of Space and Property Management at University of Lancashire, which has over 30,000 students and academics at it’s Preston Campus. Claire talked about the importance of culture and events to attract and retain students and staff.
- Stephen Heverin, Growth and Regeneration Director for Onward Homes, one of the largest registered providers of social housing in the North West Stephen talked about the renewal of their estate in and around Stoneygate, a key regeneration priority for the City.
Closing Remarks
Following audience questions the panel were asked
what is the one change you would make tomorrow to turn Preston in to the North’s most desirable postcode?
Answers included: making sure that the City has a multi-purpose venue for cultural and business events; strengthening collaboration between the public and private sector; targeted funding to help deliver priority housing sites; new office space to attract well paid job opportunities; and focussed support from government agencies including Homes England.
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Events | April 29 2026
