Harris Institute suffers increase in tip-overs, vandalism

The vandalism has sparked calls for a quick decision on a planning application seeking to bring the 175-year-old heritage asset back into use, after a decade of neglect, as an art gallery, conference center and coworking space.

The scheme, which includes the conversion of the neighboring Regent House building into nine holiday lets, was presented to Preston City Council in June. The LDRS can reveal the proposal will be considered at a meeting of the authority’s planning committee in December. The process is understood to have involved discussion with Historic England, which had already placed the building on its risk register.

For John Turner, president of the Friends of the Harris School of Art, certainty about the site’s future cannot come soon enough.

“The longer they leave it, the worse it will get. If there is someone there with money to invest, let them go ahead,” he said.

The former art school, which was operated by the University of Central Lancashire for a time, was last in use as the Darul Aloom Islamic Institution before becoming vacant in 2014. It is now controlled by Bolton-based Harris Investment Group Limited , the one behind the conversion plans.

Company director Peter Wu said of the damage caused to the property and the debris left on it: “We carried out routine checks on the building and have inspected the damaged paving stone and can confirm that it does not allow access to the building.

“The front door would have been seen open as surveyors and authorized contractors were entering and leaving the building.

“We are eagerly awaiting approval of our planning application and beginning work to restore the Harris Institute to its former glory.”

The latest security fears come almost two years after unauthorized access (obtained under a previous owner) allowed the building to be converted into a cannabis farm.

Preserving the past

Arson poses an ever-present threat to vacant and historically significant properties, a concern that has increased in Preston following a series of fires in the city center in recent years. even in the orphanage of San José and the old Odeón cinema.

The risk of a similar fate befalling the iconic Park Hotel in Miller Park led Preston City Council this month to waive a claim on a potential future cash contribution for affordable housing to remove a barrier to restoring the building as part of a new apartment development.

In the wake of this week’s incident at the Harris Institute, the authority said it is doing everything it can to protect a variety of heritage assets in the city.

A spokesperson told LDRS: “The council is in regular contact with building owners to ensure buildings are secure and not open to access, and to protect those of heritage value, including listed buildings.

“Vandalism and anti-social behavior are common in these buildings and a multi-departmental and agency approach is taken, including liaison with police. We have taken enforcement action where necessary and promptly addressed any urgent issues, such as the one highlighted in Avenham.

“The long-term solution is to bring these buildings back into productive use, but there are significant viability issues preventing this from happening. We are working with a number of developers to help them submit plans and have recently granted planning permission for two of them. We trust that they will be fulfilled, but they take time.

“There are some excellent examples of listed buildings in the Winckley Square area that have been converted by the private sector for high quality residential and commercial use and the City Living Strategy has had a significant positive impact, attracting investment and a refurbishment sensitive”.

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