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Battle over city redevelopment gets dirty
Town Hall bosses trying to derail Preston's £700m Tithebarn development face missing out on millions of pounds of regeneration cash – unless they agree to drop their objections.
Lancashire County Council leader Geoff Driver is set to tell Blackpool Council he will not sign a deal to unlock Government and Lancashire taxpayers' cash for the Fylde Coast unless they either ditch their objections or "persuade me to sign".
Council chiefs in Preston are furious that Blackpool could get Preston taxpayers' cash through the Fylde Coast Multi Area Agreement (MAA) to regenerate their town at the same time as they are opposing the Tithebarn scheme.
Both Blackpool and Blackburn councils are opposed to the project, saying it will hit trade in their own town centres.
If their objections lead to a call-in, it could delay the long-awaited scheme by a year.
Coun Driver told the Evening Post: "Without putting it too bluntly, before I sign the multi-area agreement we will be looking for assurances they will play the game.
"The people of Preston will wonder why some of their money is going towards the regeneration of Blackpool at the same time as they are opposed to the Tithebarn project.
"What we are trying to do in Lancashire now is work together and if you work together there has got to be some give and take.
"It is no good Blackpool saying we want to be part of Team Lancashire when it suits Blackpool.
"If you are playing in a team you don't tackle your own players off the ball from behind.
"I would be hoping they would withdraw their objections. If they don't withdraw their objections they are going to have to persuade me to sign the multi area agreement."
Asked how they would do that, he added: "I don't know. The ball is in their court."
Preston Council leader Ken Hudson has called on LCC not to sign the agreement while the objections are in place.
He said: "Preston Council finds it totally unacceptable that LCC is about to sign an MAA with Fylde councils when Blackpool is objecting to the Tithebarn development. We are either a team or we're not."
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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