A Preston restaurant that closed its doors last year looks set to be demolished and replaced with a state-of-the-art care home and apartment block.
Baffito’s, an Italian restaurant on Preston Docks, closed in October 2019 and will be demolished to make way for the new facility.
After opening in 2013 as a family restaurant and sports bar, the restaurant closed last year after reports of anti-social behaviour at the site.
Proposals have been submitted to Preston City Council to flatten the building and replace it with a three-storey care home as well as apartments for those with learning disabilities.
Glenholme Wrightcare is behind the plans, with the care home expected to have 64 bedrooms and the apartment block to have 16 flats.
“The existing building on site is a vacant restaurant building. It does not appear to have any high architectural value, but it is not imposing or offensive in its scale or appearance,” writes planning agents IBI Group.
So far, the plans have had ‘positive’ feedback from Preston City Council, IBI says, with the development ‘increasing the presence on the waterfront’.
“The proposal seeks to respond to the unique context of Preston Docks and create a high-quality building of architectural merit,” IBI says.
“The massing of the care home building is mainly two storeys with a three storey element in the centre of the building to break down the mass and create prominence and visibility at the waterfront. The massing is influenced by the now demolished docklands architecture and forms such gables, brick as the main material and pitched roofs.”
All 60 apartments will be wheelchair accessibly, with design enabling independent living through self-contained flats.