Road bosses demand more detail about impact of Lancashire Central development near Preston on motorway junctions

That is the call from National Highways, the body responsible for the UK’s strategic road network, which has said that a decision over the proposed Lancashire Central scheme in Cuerden should be held off until at least the end of the year. It had previously been hoped that infrastructure works could have begun by that point, had the project been given the green light.

The blueprint for the plot - close to where the M6 and M65 motorways meet in South Ribble - would see the creation of a huge logistics and distribution hub, along with research and development facilities and office space.

A foodstore, eateries, leisure centre, creche, health centre.and car showroom are also expected to feature within the development, while a total of 116 homes are planned for another part of the site.

Plans for the project were formally submitted to Lancashire County Council earlier this month and, as a statutory consultee, National Highways has responded by requesting that the proposal is approved no sooner than 21st December.

In a 38-page document, the government-owned company asks for information which it says is “essential to understanding the impacts of this proposal” on the motorways for which it is responsible.

Whilst National Highways acknowledges that it was involved in a scoping exercise during the preparation of the planning application - and that some of its comments have been addressed in the transport assessment produced since - the organisation says further action is needed to allow it to “form a view” about the plans.

The transport assessment considers the impact of the scheme on junction 29 of the M6 - the Preston South turn-off - and junction 1 of the M65.

However, National Highways has requested that the assessment also “pay[s] particular attention” to junction 9 of the M61 and junction 2 of the M65, the interchange between those two motorways. Additionally, it has asked for collision data analysis to be carried out for those junctions in order to “establish whether there are any patterns or clusters…that may be a concern”.

The body also noted that the changes to the previously approved, Ikea-centred application means that although the new proposal will generate fewer vehicle trips overall, there are likely to be more HGV movements, especially on weekdays.

It has therefore sought details of the split between two of the classes of usage proposed within the development - general industrial, and storage and development - and for junction modelling to be undertaken to reflect that fact, or a range of possible options if the exact breakdown is not yet known.

National Highways has also requested confirmation that traffic data from 2016 - gathered as part of the now defunct Ikea plans - is still representative of normal traffic flow patterns today.

The furniture store was previously due to be the anchor tenant on what was intended to be a retail-led development which was granted planning permission exactly five years ago this month.

However, Ikea pulled out of the project in 2018, prompting a rethink which, after pandemic-induced delays, finally led to the proposal put forward earlier this year.

Lancashire County Council, which owns the site, has developed the scheme in association with Maple Grove Developments, part of the Bamber Bridge-based Eric Wright Group.

Under government rules, the authority itself will determine the application because of its ownership of the land. However, the decision will be taken by County Hall’s cross-party, quasi-judicial development control committee of councillors.

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said in response to the issues raised by National Highways: "People can give their comments formally on the application, so that any planning considerations can be taken into account as part of the usual planning process."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Maple Grove Developments added: "This development has been carefully planned and considered including a comprehensive transport assessment.

“The proposal takes into account market conditions and demand to provide a high-quality development of around 1.7 million sq feet of floor space with significant economic and employment benefits for the people of Lancashire."

Limit Cuerden, a local group opposed to the Lancashire Central plans, said that the proposal now on the table would “make life a misery for thousands of people, bringing with it dangerous pollution levels from dirty diesel lorries”

A spokesperson added: “Once again, we are having to object about inadequate thought [being given] to the traffic impact on the surrounding communities of Bamber Bridge, Lostock Hall, Cuerden and Leyland. The road network is already at capacity.

“The area is surrounded by vacant logistics warehouses. This seems to be a plot of land that the council feels it should do something with, clutching for ideas, rather than develop[ing] for a real plan and purpose.”

Estimates for the number of jobs that could be created at Lancashire Central range from 2,200 to 5,600, but the county council hopes that many of them will be high-skilled and well-paid roles. It is predicted that extra spending as a result of the development could boost the Lancashire economy to the tune of around £390m a year.