Historic Preston pub refurbishment approved

Part of one of Preston’s oldest pubs will be demolished, while its historic frontage will be given a facelift after plans to preserve the historic building were given the green light.

The Old Dog Inn on Church Street in the city centre closed down in July 2018 and has been vacant ever since.

A previous bid for permission to convert the ground floor of the Grade II-listed building to a restaurant – and the first and second storeys to bedsits – was withdrawn almost two years ago. That blueprint had also included a raft of remedial work, which was recently put back on the table because of the urgency with which it is now needed.

According to a report by Preston City Council planners, the restaurant and residential conversions remain the ultimate ambition of applicant Asjed Rafiq.  However, the internal alterations required for the refit have been put on the backburner for now and will be subject of a future planning application.

Instead, the authority was asked only to assess plans to demolish and rebuild part of the rear of the property, replace the roof of the rest of the building and refurbish and repair the front of the premises.  Most of the windows will also be replaced.

Parts of the structure, including the roof, have decayed to such an extent – even just since the previous application was dropped in 2023 – that the back of the building has partially collapsed, meaning “immediate works” are necessary, planning officers said.

The former pub was lucky to escape any further damage after a serious blaze just a few doors along Church Street resulted in the demolition of two nearby properties in November last year.

Planning officials concluded that the latest proposal for the Old Dog Inn would lead to “less than substantial harm” to the property – which is thought to date back to the early 19th century – and found that the works would “serve to protect and enhance the historic environment”.

The limited harm likely to result from the changes would be “outweighed by the public benefit of ensuring this building is repaired and maintained to a standard where it will be available for existing and future generations to enjoy”, they added.

The original entrance features will be retained and repainted with “heritage-approved finishes”, while the coloured and lime renders – on the ground and upper floors, respectively – will be repaired.

Meanwhile, the historic timber trusses and rafters within the roof will be repaired and retained “using traditional carpentry techniques”, with steel reinforcements being added when “structurally necessary”.

Before the pub was rebuilt in the early 1800s, it is thought an inn first stood on the site as long ago as 1715 – with early Methodist meetings believed to have been held there – while the “Dog Inn” name dates back even further when it was based at another location in the city.