Surprise as well-used Longton car park is closed off

Mystery surrounds the closure of a well-used village car park.
By Catherine Musgrove
Published 10th Oct 2020, 15:45 BST
The car park often used by shoppers in LongtonThe car park often used by shoppers in Longton
The car park often used by shoppers in Longton

Little over a week ago, the rear section of the car park off Franklands, Longton, was closed off by a barrier and concrete blocks.

The site, used by visitors to local shops, was thought by many to be part of the same site as the former Booths car park.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But a sign put up by Clearway Environmental Services states it is the staff car park for the BT exchange adjacent to it.

A sign on display at the car parkA sign on display at the car park
A sign on display at the car park

BT Openreach, which run the exchange off Liverpool Road, say the car park falls under the ownership of property company Telereal Trillium, and they are unaware of any reason why it has been closed off.

The exchange, which dates back to ??? is not home to any desk-based staff, only visited by engineers who park in a yard to the front.

BT say there are no plans to close the exchange.

Telereal Trillium were unavailable for comment.

The automated exchange is used by BT and Openreach, serving around 6,000 residential premises and 250 non-residential premises.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The biggest customer on the hi-tech system at Longton, near Preston, is said to be Lancashire Constabulary, which has its headquarters in nearby Hutton.

In 2016, plans for 17.5m high phone mast at the site were approved.

Related topics:Openreach

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.