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 Lancs Live.

The analysis also indicates that the relocated Royal Preston Hospital may extend into a significant area of the county council's Cuerden site, with the council expressing its intention to "assist" the hospital plans. The Lancashire Central development is divided into five zones, with the hospital seemingly occupying one entire zone, which is the second largest.

This zone, Zone D, was initially earmarked for a leisure centre and about 30 percent of the industrial, storage, distribution, and office space. While other parts of the development could still accommodate these facilities if their size is reduced by the hospital, it remains unclear whether the leisure centre can be relocated to another zone.

Any such move would necessitate further alterations to the Lancashire Central project. .

Phillippa Williamson, leader of Lancashire County Council, commented: "These new hospitals should make a real difference to health services in the county, offering the very latest facilities. In the background, we have been working closely with our NHS partners as they have considered potential sites for these two new hospitals."

She continued: "This will continue as the schemes are designed and the County Council will consider changes to the proposed Lancashire Central development, one of our key economic development sites to assist the Royal Preston site come forward. We will continue to be closely involved as the schemes are developed, particularly in relationship to transport planning."

This comes after the Cuerden site, the location of the proposed new Royal Preston Hospital, was embroiled in a High Court dispute between Brookhouse and the county council late last year, with the company challenging the local authority's process for selecting a development partner. However, there is no record on the Courts and Tribunal Judiciary website of a High Court judgement having since been issued in relation to the matter.

The Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme has clarified that the land purchased for the new Royal Preston Hospital is subject to public consultation and could potentially be used for alternative locations. The NHS has also developed an "exit strategy" in case the government funding is not approved or if alternative locations are chosen after a nationwide review of planned hospital facilities.