Inquiry would bring one-year Tithebarn wait
A public inquiry into Preston's £700m Tithebarn scheme could add a year's wait onto the plans, developers have revealed.
Richard Coppell of developers the Preston Tithebarn Partnership (PTP) said that further delays to the long-awaited scheme were inevitable if it is called in by Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears.
He also warned that the scheme was at serious risk of going to an inquiry if Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council upheld their objections.
Both councils have said they have "serious concerns" about the project's impact on their town centres.
Mr Coppell said: "The rule of thumb is that if the application does go to public inquiry it will take around a year.
"It depends on whether the Secretary of State decides to call the application in and how long she then takes to make her decision."
He was speaking at a special question-and-answer session about the scheme which is expected to start in 2010 organised by business lobbying group Downtown Preston in Business (DPIB) on Thursday.
Last month, the Evening Post revealed how Blackburn Council's cabinet member for regeneration Alan Cottam had said Preston should "develop within its own boundaries."
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Weather for Preston
Wednesday 23 May 2012
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