PORTFOLIO

During the course of my Masters there have been many developments planned, started and some finished in Preston’s city centre and at UCLan. Some of them I was very aware of and others I only discovered as I did more research on the future of Preston.

One of the biggest plans for Preston is the construction of a cinema near the markets and bus station. The are is also going to be pedestrianised and have space for new restaurants. Putting a cinema back onto the high street is guaranteed to bring more people to that part of the city and keep more money within the high street rather than cinema goers having to go further out of the centre. This should become a very sociable space and encourage visitors to stay longer on the high street especially in this area of Preston as it currently doesn’t have much there. It is a great development for Harvest as it shows the push towards experience on the high street and that other people want to improve the city. However, this is once again quite a small plan in terms of the improvement of Preston as it will bring more people to the area but the high street will still have the same look and disjointed layout.

A development that has recently picked up again is the addition of a tram line in Preston connecting the centre to the outer retail parks. It has struggled with funding previously and it hasn’t had a lot of media coverage. The tram line is something I want to introduce through Harvest but not on the same route as what is currently planned. I plan to encourage visitors to stay on the high street and get more use from it rather than send them elsewhere. The lack of funding is a potential bad sign for my own project as it is becoming a key factor in linking the city but the fact the plans have been approved is a positive.

In terms of the development at UCLan, this is where a lot of progress has already been made and major improvements to the campus will boost its status drastically. Funding for the university plans show a belief in the university and a possibility of gaining students from further afield. The new buildings on Campus are very modern and high tech which is similar to the aesthetic of Harvest with both showing some insights into the history of Preston.

All of the developments within Preston are great for Harvest as it shows big steps are being taken to improve the high street. The developments thought rent linked and still leave a very separated city centre and if I can improve the links within them all it would benefit everyone involved.