Tithebarn chiefs answer firms' fears
It was 12 years ago that an officer from Lancashire County Council planning department walked into the office of then deputy leader Frank McKenna with plans to knock down Preston bus station and turn the area into a shoppers' paradise.
"I remember saying 'if you can sort that one out, you're a better man than I am'," the now the chairman of the private sector lobbying group
Downtown Preston in Business (DPIB) told members last week.
Next to him in Meeting Room A of Preston's Town Hall were Anthony Gill and Richard Coppell, project directors leading the Tithebarn scheme which followed those plans, who – by McKenna's own estimation – were better men then he is.
But, judging by the bumper turn-out which attended DPIB's property forum on the development, there are still a lot of unanswered questions
about the development's impact.
Mr Gill was asked whether the Preston Tithebarn Partnership, made up of developers Grosvenor and Lend Lease which are leading the scheme, would be willing to underwrite the costs of those businesses which would be forced to sell their premises when work gets underway.
Joe Assalone, of commercial property agents Robert Pinkus and Co, said
that his clients had received a "response lukewarm at best" from the developers with regards moves to sell before the compulsory purchase order (CPO) process kicked in.
He said that the developers were "prolonging the hardship" of firms in whose premises would be swallowed up by the 700m regeneration.
Mr Gill responded that the developers had so far only completed one deal – buying Guild Tower – in the city centre because it "made commercial sense" to the partnership.
He said: "The CPO process is being carried out by Preston Council which is carrying out that process in the normal way, there is no commercial
advantage in acquiring any premises beforehand.
"We will take part in negotiations with the owners of the premises if
and when we need to."
* For more on this story, see Tuesday's Lancashire Evening Post.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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