Preston firm at heart of acclaimed town hall regeneration

The acclaimed £20m restoration of a Grade-I listed town hall has collected a number of national accolades with the work of a Preston business playing a key role in its delivery.

FWP acted as quantity surveyor and cost manager throughout the complex four-year delivery programme to refurbish Rochdale Town Hall, one of the UK’s most significant 19th-century buildings. The work has restored many of the Gothic building’s historic features and created new community spaces in rooms which were previously out of bounds to the public.

The restoration won RIBA’s North West Award, along with its North West Project Architect of the Year, North West Client of the Year and the North West Conservation honours.

It has also been named Best Heritage Project in the UK by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), beating national landmarks such as Big Ben and the V&A.

David Robinson, managing director of FWP, said: “The Rochdale Town Hall project was driven by a clear vision and a desire not only to protect the heritage of a much-loved building but to open it up to the community for generations to come.

“The result of the work is truly spectacular and the awards that are now being bestowed are an endorsement of the ambition shown throughout the restoration programme. We are proud of our role in delivering something so special that is also acting as a catalyst for wider regeneration in the town.”

Keith Morrison, senior chartered quantity surveyor at FWP, who worked on the scheme, said: “Strong cost management is critical in heritage projects such as this, not least where funding has been secured through grants, in this instance from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

“Throughout what was a complex and demanding programme of work, FWP fostered close working relationships with all members of the delivery team, with clear communication and full reporting at the heart of the process and crucial to its success.

“Our experience in the role of quantity surveyor on sensitive heritage restoration work also proved invaluable to the delivery team at Rochdale. The result was a project that met its deadlines and its budget.”

Rochdale Town Hall received the Michael Middleton Special Award for Excellence in Conservation and a Civic Trust Conservation Award.

It was voted Social Project of the Year in the Association for Project Management (APM) Awards and was commended in the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence 2025.

And international recognition came in the form of a shortlisting in the 2026 Europa Nostra Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements in the protection, conservation, and promotion of Europe’s cultural heritage.

Founded in its home city of Preston in 1960, FWP’s multi-disciplinary work covers all aspects of construction, from cost management to architecture and masterplanning. Much of its management work has involved conservation, with heritage and listed building renovation plans that require a variety of grant funding applications and close cost management.