Visitor Information Centre makes way for £1m Guild Hall make over

Preston’s Visitor Information Centre is on the move, to make way for a £1m transformation of Preston Guild Hall.

The new ‘Villa Italian’ restaurant and new wine bar ‘Review’ are set for the Guild Hall, adding a whole new vitality to Preston City Centre.

To help progress these exciting City Centre developments, the Council is relocating the Visitor Information Centre to Preston Town Hall, so that it becomes part of the Council’s existing customer contact centre.

This move, which will save the Council up to £80,000 a year, was welcomed by Councillor John Swindells – Deputy Leader of the Council, who said:

“The £1m transformation of Preston Guild Hall under Simon Rigby’s ownership is really gathering pace. A new Italian restaurant and wine bar is next, which will be great additions to Preston’s growing restaurant and night time economy.

“We need to re-locate the Visitor Information Centre to make way for these exciting developments. By moving a short distance across the road to the Town Hall we can continue to provide a Visitor Information service and allow the Guild Hall to blossom. 

“What’s more is that we can save taxpayers up to £80,000 a year by merging the visitor information service with our Contact Centre. This is another example of the benefit of transferring the Guild Hall to a successful local business.”

Simon Rigby, owner of Preston Guild Hall, added:

“The Guild Hall goes from strength to strength. The whole team is working flat out to create an experience that Preston can be proud of. We’ve already made a whole host of improvements to the Guild Hall and we have some big announcements to make on our events programme for 2015. 

“As part of our ambition to be Lancashire’s premier entertainment venue, we are investing over one million pounds in our new ‘Villa Italian’ restaurant and ‘Review’ wine bar. Work starts next month and when it’s finished, guests will enjoy first class food and drink in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.    

“When I took over ownership of the Guild Hall I promised not only to re-invigorate the venue but also to save money for the taxpayers of Preston. I am delighted that moving the Visitor Information Centre will not only allow the Guild Hall to flourish but will also save £80,000 a year for the taxpayer. Who could argue with that?” 

ENDS  

Media Enquiries, Stephen Parkinson, Head of Communications, (01772) 906464