Public bodies in Lancashire are putting together a “plan B” for the troubled £700m Tithebarn retail-led regeneration scheme in Preston, after one of its development partners backed out last month

The original plan, which consisted of 84,000m2 of retail space, foundered after complaints by nearby Blackpool and Blackburn over the impact it would have on their town centres. Last month, Grosvenor pulled out, leaving Lend Lease as sole development partner.

Eliot Ward, chief executive of regional development agency Preston Vision, said he was working with the council to identify the publicly-owned sites that made up part of the scheme that could be brought forward: “There are a number of public assets in the scheme so it’s a case of reviewing the strategy.”

A spokesman for the council said that all efforts were being put towards preparing for the public inquiry, due next year.

Topics