I heard it on Radio Lancashire, the government have announced that a public inquiry is to be held into whether Preston should be allowed to have a project as large as the Tithebarn. In effect the government are sort of putting Prestons investment onto a back burner. Even in these times when money is too hard to mention and it will create good jobs in the short term.
Like the Casino announcement in Blackpool there is a Manchester element in this as people from Manchester have been players in both judgements. To cross the path of Labours pet city, Manchester, and a town with a senior minister as MP, Blackburn, is opposition that Preston will find difficult.
Sounds like there might be a new government before the inquiry is finished so it will be too late for a cost cutting exercise to save £800,000. Although knowing the cynicism of pubic financing the inquiry will probably be cancelled and counted as an £800,000 ‘cut’.
On the other hand I’ve never been fully convinced of the project as I’m suspicious of developers who like the bankers see only money as an outcome. I guess I’d be sympathetic to that except that as you get older, say 50ish, you begin to realise that the visible trail from long ago to now has a value as well. Even so a Public Inquiry costing £800,000 and taking a long time seems extravagent.