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Resort in £250,000 battle with Preston
BLACKPOOL is prepared to pay up to £250,000 to prevent Preston building a massive new shopping complex.
The resort has teamed up with five other Lancashire authorities, including Fylde and Wyre, to fight the Tithebarn plan for the city.
A consortium has been formed and has hired top planning QC Christopher Katkowski – with the cost being split between Blackpool and Blackburn.
No figure can be put on the final cost because it depends how long the public inquiry lasts, but it could be up to 500,000 in total. Preston has set aside 650,000 to fight its corner at the inquiry which is due to start on May 18 and last between five and six weeks.
Blackpool Council leader Coun Peter Callow said the cost was justified to protect the resort's own retail sector.
He said: "Preston has appointed a top barrister and we have to match that.
"Just as Blackpool is getting back on its feet, Preston has weighed in with this huge development which will impact massively on Blackpool's rebirth.
"Their retail will dwarf ours if this goes ahead. It's not the fact they want additional retail that we're against, it's the size of it.
"If you go to Preston, you will see lots of empty shops – why don't they fill those first? Why don't they scale down this mammoth development?"
The Tithebarn project would see an increase of more than 70 per cent in the size of Preston's shopping centre, making it twice the size of Blackpool retail hub.
FOR THE FULL STORY SEE SATURDAY'S GAZETTE.
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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