Tithebarn decision confirmed
THE Department for Communities and Local Government has confirmed that Secretary of State Eric Pickles has given the go-ahead for the £700m Tithebarn scheme in Preston town centre.
As revealed by TheBusinessDesk.com and others last week, the enquiry has found in favour of developers Lend Lease, meaning that the scheme can go ahead.
Secretary of State Eric Pickles’ letter approving the scheme states that it “offers significant benefits in terms of economic investment”.
Pickles states that the Tithebarn scheme “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 Secretary of State also dismissed objections from both Blackburn and Blackpool’s councils – both of whom expressed concern that the 1.1m sq ft scheme – representing around a fifth of the UK’s total retail property pipeline – would have a damaging affect on their own retail offers.
The decision letter stated that “neither Blackpool nor Blackburn town centre is so weak that it could not cope with some impact”.
It also argued that the proposed scheme “would not undermine any existing, committed, or planned investments, or have any significant adverse impact on the vitality or viability, trade or turnover of Blackburn, Blackpool or Preston centres.
The decision ends a long period of uncertainty for the scheme, which was granted outline planning permission from Preston City Council in July 2009. It granted permission for the transformation of 32 acres of the city centre, including a 32,000 sq ft anchor John Lewis store, a Marks & Spencer outlet, a refurbished Guild Hall, restaurants, cafes cinemas, a new market, 100 new shops and a new bus station.
However, the scheme was then called in and the public inquiry began back in May.
Councillor Ken Hudson, Leader of Preston City Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Government has backed Preston and given planning permission to the Tithebarn scheme.
“The Minister has clearly seen sense and on balance agreed that the development is in the best interests of Preston, Lancashire and the North West as a whole.
“Now that we have planning permission, we can continue to work closely with our partners to decide what the next stages are. We all recognise that there is a lot of hard work ahead but getting planning permission is a huge boost for Tithebarn and a huge boost for Preston.”
Richard Coppell, development director from Lend Lease, added: “This is a great milestone for the project and we are delighted to be able to continue our excellent relationship with the city. We now need to work closely with the city council and other stakeholders to determine the path to delivery.”
