Redevelopment

farington m6 from above

Opinion: Are local councils just going to ignore Lancashire’s regional housing plan?

7th, November 2011 by

Town planning found itself in the unusual position of making the headlines over the summer. Especially, if you were a Daily Telegraph reader and following their Hands off our Land Campaign. The to-do was courtesy of the Government’s publication of the highly controversial National Planning Policy Framework. Personally, I always felt this was a bit of a sideshow. Real planning controversy only starts when you [...]

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Preston Tithebarn artist impression

John Lewis pull out of Preston as Tithebarn is ‘not financially viable’

3rd, November 2011 by

Preston’s proposed £700m city centre redevelopment has been confirmed as not going ahead in its current form, say council bosses. John Lewis’s decision not to come to Preston City Centre has meant that plans for the multi-million pound development have been scrapped, with no new bus station planned due to the current economic climate. This comes after a huge public enquiry in 2010 which granted [...]

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houses on avenham place

Proposals for new Preston homes go on public display

1st, November 2011 by

Plans for how Preston and the surrounding area are to cope with a growing demand for new homes will go on display today. The Central Lancashire Core Strategy shows how Preston, South Ribble and Chorley will have to build 22,000 homes by 2026 to meet its exploding population. The previous strategy was dismissed in December 2010 by planning inspector Richard Hollox who felt it was [...]

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Buses parked outside the station in 1980. Photo by Sou'wester on Flickr.

Opinion: Bus station debate shows how Preston has fallen behind

18th, October 2011 by

This is a guest post by Steve Ratcliffe. You can find him on Twitter here, and he also blogs here.  To be clear I am neither Pro-Tithebarn nor Pro-Save Preston Bu Station, I am Pro-Preston, I have lived here all my life but have travelled extensively for over 10 years and I continue to do so across many major UK towns and cities. I have seen them [...]

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By Demos on Flickr

Preston Bus Station named on world monuments list

7th, October 2011 by

The under-threat Preston Bus Station has been named this week as a worldwide monument in need of protection. The bus station, which is due to be demolished as part of the redevelopment of the city centre, has been branded a ‘historic’ work of architectural beauty. World Monuments Fund named it alongside 60 other buildings across the world – from ancient Greek monuments to libraries in [...]

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Empty shop

North South divide hits shopkeepers where it hurts

24th, February 2011 by

Shopkeepers fear that the current dip in sales could mean the death of the high street as the north south divide grows ever bigger. Figures released by the Local Data Company show the shop vacancy gap between the north and the south rose by 2.5 per cent in the last six months. In Preston there are currently 100 empty shops with the worst areas being [...]

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Cuadrilla drill

Environment vs. jobs: Lancashire’s shale gas drilling investigated

12th, February 2011 by

Just outside a leafy village, not far from Preston, the horizon is broken by a chunk of towering white plastic – a façade for one of Europe’s first shale gas drills. With the decline of natural gas reserves, shale has become big business across the Atlantic. It now accounts for nearly 15 per cent of the United States’ annual gas supply. The West Bowland shale [...]

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prestonmarket

Preston Market fails in bid to win award

4th, February 2011 by

Traders slammed bosses at Preston market today after it failed to come away with a national award. One furious stallholder, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It’s not a good market. It’s never full. That’s a big turn-off for the customer.” “A few years ago, it used to be packed with stalls. You couldn’t move. Those in charge need to advertise more and cut the [...]

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withy trees

Withy Trees pub given ‘dream’ refurbishment

8th, December 2010 by

The Withy Trees pub has been given a fresh lease of life thanks to a new ownership and refurbishment. Situated on Lytham Road, Fulwood, the pub had been in a downward spiral until the last landlord’s licence was revoked. Lisa Gosling, a local nurse in want of change, pitched her business plan for the failing pub. Without any experience in the industry Lisa felt she [...]

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cricket

Guest post: Save our club. Jalgos forever.

4th, December 2010 by

In 1963 the Lancashire Evening Post ran a story about a colour bar operating in Preston. An organized pub crawl organized by the Commonwealth Association discovered two bars in the town were openly running a colour bar; those pubs were the Old Britannia and the Old Black Bull situated in and around Friargate. The Old Britannia went as far as having a sign saying ‘No [...]

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