City's night-life should 'boom'
Frank McKenna of business lobbying group Preston Downtown in Business expects an explosion of top-name quality bars and restaurants in the city over the next five years.
A long-awaited planning application from the Preston Tithebarn Partnership, expected this summer, should spark a similar renaissance to that which Liverpool experienced some years ago, he said.
The £800m project will give the city more power to attract "signature names" such as the Living Room, the restaurant chain widely credited with kick-starting a boom in quality nightlife in Liverpool.
In addition, former PNE board member Steve Jackson's plan for a new casino at the former Fives venue in Guild Hall Street, revealed by the Evening Post last year, is moving forward.
Mr McKenna said: "Within the next five years you are going to have a booming night time economy in Preston.
"I don't just say that off the top of my head. If you look at the way it developed in Liverpool, it had a strong student population, like Preston, which attracted people in.
"Those people will decide to stay in the city and once they go from being students to having jobs they will want to start going out to places at night and that is when it will come together.
"At the moment, the night-time economy is dominated by the student population. That is no bad thing but if you want to move on from that you need to start catering for the older population and the people with more spending power – and that means decent bars and restaurants and a casino.
"If you could get a catalyst such as the Living Room it could kick-start it here."
Last week Mr McKenna called for moves to create a brand for Preston and improve its image. He says that could be key to attracting the big nightlife names.
He added: "We should not be putting all our eggs in one basket. We should be looking at other ways to talk to these people and ways to sell the city as an up and coming place to do business."
| Created: | 22nd May 2008 |
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| Last Updated: | 22nd May 2008 |
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