Questions Over Centros Development’

The headline in last week's Lancaster Guardian posed the question 'Is £150m development going to be scrapped?' The question arose as a result of Centros refusing to confirm whether it would be represented at the public inquiry into the proposed Canal Corridor North development which will be held later this year. The only answer to the Guardian's question at this stage is 'maybe'.

Given the current economic climate and the outlook for retail in general it is conceivable that Centros may abandon the scheme altogether. Centros have in fact put plans for a similar scheme in Portsmouth on hold claiming that they will have to redesign that scheme in light of the current economic climate. The reality is that the Portsmouth scheme was designed to accommodate 80 shops and only 3 retailers had signed up for space in the new development.

In Bury, Centros are already building a new shopping centre, and as with the Lancaster scheme they had promised a seamless link between the new shops and the old town centre. In Lancaster a 'bridge link' is promised to join St Nicolas Arcade to the new development. This is why much of Stonewell will be demolished under the proposals. In Bury a planned 5 metre wide link between the new an old shops has been reduced to a proposal to simply repave an existing 2 metre wide alleyway instead. This according to Centros is necessary as a result of the current economic climate. This does not bode well for the Lancaster scheme and says something about the value of the commitments and promises Centros makes.

It is possible that Centros will pull out of the Lancaster scheme. However, their refusal to confirm their appearance at the public inquiry may equally well be a tactic on the part of their professional propagandists to lull those who oppose the scheme into a false sense of hope. Its Our City urges all those who oppose the scheme to assume that the public inquiry will go ahead with or without Centros and to write letters now to the Planning Inspectorate to register their opposition to the scheme. For information on how to do this contact us at admin@itsourcity.org.uk

Lancaster City Council have set aside an initial £100,000 of council tax-payers' money to present their case for the scheme at the public inquiry. In these hard economic times when the council is considering cuts in its own budget, which will likely include staff redundancies and cuts in services, it is a disgrace that they seem prepared to spend public money on defending a scheme in which the developer itself appears to have lost interest. The city council should state now that if Centros do not appear at the public inquiry then they won't waste public money on fighting the case for them.