1,500 jobs forecast if plans for £65m industrial estate get green light in Preston

Outline plans have now been submitted to the city council for a 62-acre development off Longridge Road, Ribbleton which would include 11 new warehouses and numerous other units.

The application comes five months after a scheme for the land was first revealed, raising concerns it meant the already established Roman Way Industrial Park would creep northwards to within 400-metres of houses in Grimsargh.

Henry Boot Developments and the Barnfield Group have now approached the council with more details, saying the proposed development would deliver around 800,000 sq ft of new industrial and warehousing space.

The companies say the plans will "help to ease the significant shortage of suitable buildings within the region."

“The site is very well-connected, close to the motorway network and within just 1.2 miles of the M6, making it an ideal location for an industrial scheme of this calibre," said Chris Newsome, senior development surveyor at HBD.

If Preston Council's planning department gives the scheme the go-ahead work will begin on constructing the infrastructure on-site later this year.

Tracy Clavell-Bate, head of development for the Barnfield Group, said: “It is great to get the site to the planning stage.

"It hasn’t been without its challenges, but we are sure with it being a natural extension to the existing Roman Way site, which is fully occupied, the development will be extremely successful if planning is granted.”

HBD and Barnfield say they have worked closely with the council since 2020 when initial pre-application discussions began.

Since then, a range of technical experts and specialist consultants have been involved in completing comprehensive site assessments, alongside architects Fletcher Rae and planning consultants Iceni.

The proposed scheme is the latest of several industrial projects delivered in a joint venture by HBD and the Barnfield Group.

The companies say their EAST project, an 18-acre strategic development site, also located in Preston - on the opposite side of Longridge Road, off Bluebell Way - has proved very successful.

Its 70,000 sq. ft. first phase was fully let prior to practical completion and the rest of the site is under offer.