Huge new retail complex could be changed to accommodate new hospital

Lancashire County Council says it could modify plans for a major industrial, retail and leisure development to accommodate the proposed new Royal Preston Hospital. This follows last week's announcement by the NHS that it had purchased land in Farington, South Ribble, for the construction of a new state-of-the-art health facility.

The plot, located off Stanifield Lane and south of Stoney Lane, is part of the larger Cuerden Strategic Regional Investment Site, which is primarily designated for the county council's 'Lancashire Central' project. This initiative will see the council develop a wide range of industrial, storage and office spaces, along with retail units, food and drink outlets, a drive-through restaurant, car showrooms, a leisure centre, gym, health facility, creche and 116 new homes.

Planning permission for this blueprint was granted exactly a year ago, ending long-standing uncertainty about the location near the junction of the M6 and M65. This followed the collapse of a previous plan centred around a new IKEA store after the company withdrew in 2018.

County Hall owns 71 percent of the overall 65-hectare Cuerden site, between Stanifield Lane and Wigan Road, with the remaining portion known to have been under the control of Manchester-based property firm Brookhouse Group Limited as of last year.

An analysis by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) of maps from the Lancashire Central development's planning application and those produced by the NHS, showing the proposed hospital location, suggests that the new health facility will fully occupy the Brookhouse land. However, neither the company nor the NHS has confirmed a sale agreement, reports