Preston district centre approved
Developer BXB Cottam Properties’ proposal for a mixed-use scheme at a former brickworks in Cottam has been given the go-ahead by the city council.
The scheme will include an Aldi supermarket, 123,000 sq ft of retail and leisure uses, and 89 new homes. It is expected to create 170 new jobs and generate £41.7m a year, according to the developer.
BXB sought planning permission from Preston City Council last February for the site, which has been identified in the local plan as a priority area for development.
Work is now underway to clean and prepare the site, which previously housed Cottam Hall Brickworks and a landfill site.
Gary Goodman, director of BXB Cottam Properties, said: “This [planning approval] will provide a major boost just as we are reopening our economy and seeking to get people back to work.
“Our thanks go to the officers at Preston City Council for the constructive way they have approached what is a complex application.”
Planning consultant Peter Tooher of Nexus Planning, who advised BXB on the application, said: “This is a large site with a number of technical issues but there has been a willingness from all sides to resolve them.
“Everyone saw the importance of providing key community infrastructure of this nature for the area’s rapidly growing population. The project will also remove blight, create valuable jobs and services and generate vital income and receipts for the public sector.”
Goodman added that BXB is in negotiations with Lancashire County Council and Homes England over purchasing a “small” parcel of land that would enable it to complete the site’s redevelopment.
The architect for the scheme is The Harris Partnership. BXB’s project is the second phase of development at the wider site, as housebuilders Lane End Developments and Jigsaw Homes have already delivered 116 social housing dwellings as the first phase, with BXB developing the infrastructure.
The wider Cottam area is earmarked for a total of 1,100 homes in Preston’s local plan.
