Name revealed as search starts for occupants of new Penwortham shopping complex

The name for a new shopping and food development in Penwortham has been revealed - as The Kingsfold Centre.

The former Shampan Indian restaurant - before that the Plough Inn - in Pope Lane, Kingsfold, was demolished in March 2022, after South Ribble Council gave the go-ahead for reuse. But until February this year, nothing had happened with the site, and locals were wondering if anything ever would.

But now the building is well-underway, and feelers are being put out for operators of the units.

In total, Buckshaw-based CCPI Ltd have permission for a single storey development of three shops and a takeaway. There will also be a 15-space car park for customers, with an extra five bays for staff. A planning requirement for EV chargers at the site was removed by SRBC last summer.

Preston-based agent Eckersley are offering units 2 and 3, and say that practical completion is “anticipated towards the end of 2026.”

They say: “Planning consent has been granted for retail use, to include a convenience store and one hot food takeaway unit. The scheme is considered suitable for a range of alternative uses, subject to obtaining the necessary planning consent. The units will be delivered to a shell and core specification, incorporating attractive glazed shopfronts, providing occupiers with flexibility to undertake their own fit-out.

“The scheme will benefit from dedicated servicing provision and associated car parking, set within a well-presented, low maintenance landscaped environment.”

Rent on the units is from £1,958 per calendar month.

Local feeling

There were 25 letters of objection when the planning application by CCPI Ltd went before SRBC, along with 16 letters in support.

The applicants said the proposal would “safeguard the future of the Kingsfold local centre”. It was advised 18 full and part time jobs would be created and a statement submitted by Makerfield Design Partnership said: “None of the buildings on site have any notable features worthy of preservation”. Their report added redevelopment plans would bring a vacant site back into “appropriate uses” and deliver benefits for the local community.

The former restaurant had been described as “dirty, badly lit and attracting crime” and beyond economic repair. But objectors said the proposed design was out of scale with the surroundings and would cause a loss of privacy to neighbours, with potential for noise, odours and anti-social behaviour. Concerns were also raised about the safety of proposed access and exit points.

History of the site

The original Plough pub dated back to the 1840s but a replacement pub was built in 1957.

When the Plough closed in 2007, it was reopened as the Shampan restaurant by two brothers, Khalid and Rushan Miah, who built the business up and then sold the lease to Shampan in 2012. When the restaurant closed days after its 12th birthday due to financial difficulties, manager Alam Hussain told the Post of his sadness. He said: “I love this place, I like the local area and have always supported the local community, local football and sponsoring events. We offered to buy the building but the landlord doesn’t want to sell it. We can’t afford the rent on it. There is nothing more we can do. We have lost a lot of money and six members of staff have lost their jobs.”

The property sold for £395,000 in December, 2019.