Cuerden site takes step forward

Lancashire County Council and development partners Maple Grove Developments have submitted a planning application to South Ribble Borough Council for a major development of the Cuerden strategic site that will also bring furniture giant IKEA to the county.

The Cuerden development could also attract other well-known national retailers, major employers, restaurants, offices and housing, along with cycling and walking routes and new green spaces.

Should planning permission be granted, the proposals are expected to deliver over 4,600 jobs for local residents and significant economic benefits for Lancashire.

Community consultation was launched in November 2016. More than 450 people attended public exhibitions and more than 20,000 information leaflets were distributed in the local area. A website also provided an opportunity for members of the public and community stakeholders to view the proposals, ask questions and offer their feedback to the development team.

Councillor Jennifer Mein, Lancashire County Council leader said: "We have received some very useful feedback from the community. There is a lot of support for the creation of employment, economic growth, housing and accessible green space. Naturally there was interest in the highways and transport elements of the proposals.

"Our specialist advisers have considered all of the feedback and have proposed a highways scheme which we believe will work. This will be discussed with South Ribble Borough Council and the relevant highways bodies in due course."

The development has the potential to generate significant economic and employment benefits for the area, contributing £241m per year to the central Lancashire economy through 4,600 full-time jobs, 2,900 construction-related jobs, 80,00 sq m of industrial space, 26,000 sq m of office and business space, a 120-bedroom hotel with leisure facilities and 210 new homes.

Jeremy Hartley from Eric Wright Group, which owns Maple Grove Developments, said: "The submission of the planning application is a major step forwards in the process of developing the Cuerden Strategic Site. The potential benefits of this site are substantial and we believe that the planning application makes a strong case for this development.

“The proposed development will enable the wider site to be brought forward, making it an attractive location for businesses to invest in the area. South Ribble Borough Council will now consider all of the relevant documentation and we will update the community on the progress of the planning application.” The planning application is a ‘hybrid’, meaning that parts of the site are in detail, while others are an outline application. Those areas in ‘detail’ are for higher value uses, such as IKEA and other retail uses, which are required to contribute to the delivery of the necessary infrastructure investment.