Shankly Hotel: Investment group Blackfinch distance themselves from Preston's £15m luxury hotel

The Blackfinch Group were named as applicants in a renewed submission for the former Post Office building project on Preston City Council’s website.

This triggered hopes that new investors had been found to finally get the £15m project over the line.

But now the Blackfinch Group say there was a mistake, and the applicant is not them.

What’s the background?

The vision to turn the former Post Office building in Birley Street into a swanky £15m hotel and wedding venue named after one of PNE’s greatest players -Bill Shankly – has been ongoing since 2016, when Preston Council sold the Grade-II listed site to Liverpool-based Signature Living.

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But things came to a holt last year when the company hit financial problems and Manchester-based Kroll Advisory began the administration process.

In late July, planning permission from 2016 was resubmitted to Preston Council to change the number of bedrooms in the hotel, as during the construction stage, the building has varied slightly from the planning drawings.

The applicant was down as Blackfinch Investments, but they say this was a mistake.

What do Blackfinch say?

A spokesman said: “On 20th July 2023, a planning application was submitted for Shankly Hotel, in Preston, by Signature Living Preston Limited (in Administration). Shankly Hotel is currently in administration, with Kroll as the administrators.

“The application incorrectly named Blackfinch Investments Ltd as the applicant. This should have read Signature Living Preston Limited (in Administration). The planning application has since been corrected.”

The relationship between the development and Blackfinch has not been made public.