£1.2m Winckley Square Gardens restoration approved

A £1.2m project to breathe new life into Preston’s historic Winckley Square Gardens will go ahead after a funding bid was approved.

It has been described as a ‘big day in the history of Preston’ and comes four years after a campaign to renovate the gardens was launched by the Winckley Square Community Interest Company (WSCIC).

The improvements to the gardens include the restoration of the Robert Peel statue, work to resolve the current flooding issues, new lighting, creating a social space, historical reference points and more.

The campaign to renovate the gardens started in 2011 when six local professionals started the WSCIC. It has since formed a partnership between environmental charity, Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside, Preston City Council, Preston Business Improvement District (BID) and Lancashire County Council.

"We are continuing the improvements along Fishergate which provides a great opportunity to increase integration between the square and the city centre. "The development of the city centre is a core objective of the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal. These superb plans complement the City Deal work programme, which will boost growth and prosperity for the next decade and beyond."