Tithebarn scheme in Preston gets the go-ahead
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has approved planning for Tithebarn, the Lend Lease mixed-use scheme in Preston. The £700m retail-led scheme had caused controversy and attracted opposition from competing towns in the area, but Mr Pickles endorsed the Inspector’s Report, which said there would not be any significant “disbenefits” despite some job losses in Blackpool and Blackburn, because of the relatively self-contained character of the areas in Lancashire.
Place North West notes that the report states that neither rival town could have accommodated the additional growth proposed by Lend Lease at Tithebarn. The 1.5m sq ft scheme on a 36-acre site includes anchor stores from John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, restaurants, a cinema, office space, 400 residential units and 2,700 car parking spaces. The detailed report on the decision says that the proposed scheme “offers significant benefits in terms of economic investment. It would also provide a significant environmental and regenerative benefit to Preston, and there would be a significant benefit to the urban fabric of the city”.
The report adds that “the possibility of significant traffic congestion in Preston, and the associated conflict with the development plan and national policy, is outweighed by compliance with the development plan and national policy in other respects, and the clear and significant economic, environmental and regeneration benefits of the proposal”.
