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East Lancashire MPs clash over Preston shopping expansion (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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East Lancashire MPs clash over Preston shopping expansion
10:00am Saturday 18th July 2009
EAST Lancashire’s politicians have clashed over the impact of Preston’s £700million redevelopment.
The Tithebarn shopping scheme has been bitterly opposed by Blackburn with Darwen Council, which says it will draw shoppers out of Blackburn town centre – claims supported by the town’s MP Jack Straw.
But now Janet Anderson, who represents Darwen and Rossendale, has slammed the town hall’s “blinkered and short-sighted approach”, and backed the plans, which were given planning permission this week, to the fury of the borough’s ruling councillors.
She said: “It is clear that this development is one which people in our area want.
“It is nonsense for Blackburn with Darwen council to claim that it is not in our interests.
“We want a decent shopping centre, within easy reach, and we do not have that in Blackburn.”
She claimed council bosses had “done nothing” to bring people into the town centre, citing the rent increase for market traders and parking problems.
Ms Anderson challenged them, saying: “Instead of bleating that Preston has stolen a march on you, tell us why we cannot have a John Lewis and why you have done nothing to attract other quality retailers into Blackburn.”
The MP also demanded to know the cost to taxpayers of a survey that claimed Tithebarn would wipe millions from Blackburn’s economy and mean the loss of hundreds of jobs.
But Mr Straw said: “I am afraid Janet and I will have to disagree. We have to take account of the impact on other areas.
“Preston has been favoured in recent years for all sorts of reasons.”
Conservative councillor Alan Cottam, the council’s executive member for regeneration, said: “I don’t know why Janet Anderson has said this, maybe she’s trying to court popularity, but it’s not very helpful to be so negative.
“She doesn’t represent Blackburn, and doesn’t have responsibility for Blackburn.”
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Your Say YourTelegraph
midas, burnley says...
11:00am Sat 18 Jul 09
jinkyjase, Preston says...
12:06pm Sat 18 Jul 09
For the council to bleat that another one has achieved progress demonstrates how inward looking they are, in absolutely certain the people of Blackburn would be jumping for joy at a similar level of investment if it could be realised. As it is, the town centre, it's access and parking is not attractive to the larger stores because of a lack of foot fall.
happycyclist, Darwen says...
2:11pm Sat 18 Jul 09
Wikidi, Accrington says...
5:54pm Sat 18 Jul 09
Little Diamond, Darwen says...
6:34pm Sat 18 Jul 09
If it wasn't for Morrisons car-park Blackburn would be stuffed.
I don't think Mr Cottam is up to the re-generation job, the council spent £25000 on a back ally job in Darwen and they didn't even know who had done the job. Can we trust Cottam to spend the £50mil gov grant for the Pennine route Bus lane?
Cottam accuses Janet Anderson of courting popularity, surely she would have spoken out against the scheme to be popular in Blackbern and Darwen?
happycyclist, Darwen says...
7:57pm Sat 18 Jul 09
StoneCold, Mill Hill , Bburn. says...
11:05pm Sat 18 Jul 09
Blackburn as a town is now a total cesspool. The shopping centre is just a joke, trying to get to the place is even worse with the one way system. Parking prices are simply too much and the clientelle in the centre is questionable. Cottam is, in my opinion, too old and set in his ways to make any change for the better. Blackburn needs dynamic forward thinking people, prepared to make the town great again.
Preston, proud Preston is a great place to spend the day. Good shops, vibrant cafes and restaraunts, decent CLEAN pubs and the park and ride which works a treat. You only have to compare the nightlife in both towns, Preston's is buzzing with a wide variety of choice - be it pubs,clubs,restaraun
ts or even strippers. Blackburn has nothing, unless you enjoy drinking with underage hoodies.
The only thing to be proud of these days in Blackburn is the Rovers. We have nothing else and for that we have to thank the council.
Seriously, security word is "town-best"!!
I am afraid not. What a shame, because I am proud of my roots and love the town dearly.
adamh, Clitheroe says...
11:54pm Sat 18 Jul 09
retired one, Blackburn says...
12:13am Sun 19 Jul 09
There is none of this when I go shopping in Preston,or Bury and I feel much safer. Blackburn is a slum.
RAyzer, BURNLEY says...
8:50am Sun 19 Jul 09
Little Diamond wrote:typical of this baffoon,not sticking up for her own..blackburn was once a great shopping town,the council wouldnt even help margo grimshaw whos done loads for the town...it needs money spending on it to attract big names,Burnleys gone down pan too,10/15 shops in centre boarded up--PURE GREED BY THE LOCAL councils,not interested in helping LOCAL buisness--i bet no southern towns look like ours!!!LABOUR--WHAT THEY CANT SEE/USE DOESNT MATTER
Well said Janet. What the heck has it got to do with Blackburn with Darwen anyway. Put your own house in order. You could't even come up with a park and ride system like Preston. Was it Mr Cottam that said it was too complicated because there are too many ways into Blackburn? Blackburn is a shambles full of skanks eating sausage rolls paid for from their benifits no doubt. If it wasn't for Morrisons car-park Blackburn would be stuffed. I don't think Mr Cottam is up to the re-generation job, the council spent £25000 on a back ally job in Darwen and they didn't even know who had done the job. Can we trust Cottam to spend the £50mil gov grant for the Pennine route Bus lane? Cottam accuses Janet Anderson of courting popularity, surely she would have spoken out against the scheme to be popular in Blackbern and Darwen?
RAyzer, BURNLEY says...
8:53am Sun 19 Jul 09
Little Diamond, Darwen says...
9:03am Sun 19 Jul 09
harry, says...
12:38pm Sun 19 Jul 09
M.DANNY, kirklees says...
3:57pm Sun 19 Jul 09
ackpool.Janet you represent people of Blackburn with Darwen your statements only helps Preston's plans for big retail and leisure complex apposed by both Blackburn and Blackpool.You know very well Preston is only town in same size and comparison with Blackburn and Blackpool,Preston does not need big development like the £700 million TITHEBARN project that would destroy jobs and economies in your own town like Darwen,Blackburn.You want people of Blackburn with Darwen,Burnley,Black
pool etc etc to shop in Preston,shame on you Janet,its like you saying buy foreign goods dont buy British.
M.DANNY, kirklees says...
4:23pm Sun 19 Jul 09
rington,Burnley ,please shop in your own towns help your town shops and economies live Blackburn alone perhaps people of Blackburn will help to strive forward to make Blackburn a great place to work and shop in their own town.Just look at Blackburn Rovers FC the biggest premier league club in Lancashire.I am a Blackburn born and bred, love my town through and through working in Yorkshire and i still do my shopping in my town Blackburn.
adamh, Clitheroe says...
9:27pm Sun 19 Jul 09
M.DANNY wrote:How ridiculous is this comment. Sometimes people have to travel further afield because towns like Clitheroe don't have big shops and beleive it or not some of us do need to shop there occasionally. Believe me I'd rather shop in Clitheroe anyday than go to Blackburn. People of Blackburn have given up on the place...there's no pride in their town that's why it's the hole it is.
Many negative comments about Blackburn are coming from Clitheroe,Darwen,Acc rington,Burnley ,please shop in your own towns help your town shops and economies live Blackburn alone perhaps people of Blackburn will help to strive forward to make Blackburn a great place to work and shop in their own town.Just look at Blackburn Rovers FC the biggest premier league club in Lancashire.I am a Blackburn born and bred, love my town through and through working in Yorkshire and i still do my shopping in my town Blackburn.
StoneCold, Mill Hill , Bburn. says...
9:37pm Sun 19 Jul 09
adamh wrote:The pride in the town has been taken out. We are a divided town, similar to Burnley, although I feel Burnley people have a real identity with their roots. Sadly, Blackburn has been taken over by the chavs & the alkies on the barbary cost run and there are not enough decent folk left to make the difference. Do I, as a 40yr old with 2 young children want to walk through Blackburn town centre, with it's hoodies, its large gang of intimaditing students wandering around? No, I dont. Preston does not have this. The only good thing about the town centre is its huge no. of takeaways!!
M.DANNY wrote: Many negative comments about Blackburn are coming from Clitheroe,Darwen,Acc rington,Burnley ,please shop in your own towns help your town shops and economies live Blackburn alone perhaps people of Blackburn will help to strive forward to make Blackburn a great place to work and shop in their own town.Just look at Blackburn Rovers FC the biggest premier league club in Lancashire.I am a Blackburn born and bred, love my town through and through working in Yorkshire and i still do my shopping in my town Blackburn.How ridiculous is this comment. Sometimes people have to travel further afield because towns like Clitheroe don't have big shops and beleive it or not some of us do need to shop there occasionally. Believe me I'd rather shop in Clitheroe anyday than go to Blackburn. People of Blackburn have given up on the place...there's no pride in their town that's why it's the hole it is.
joblogs1, Darwen says...
11:42pm Sun 19 Jul 09
Kevin, Colne, Colne says...
6:37am Mon 20 Jul 09
'Look, folks can huff and puff all they want but the High Street of old is not coming back any day soon.
The small towns - and some of the larger ones too - that typify East Lancashire are contracting to a new level of sustainability. Too many local authorities believe that they can buck the trend but they can't, and are now facing strategic failure on an epic scale. It's a classic case of that well-known political trait whereby enthusiasm trumps economics.
A couple of convenience stores, a few pubs, one or two charity shops and a Pound shop or two are the only businesses that can turn a decent profit, given the clientele of the places.
The plain fact is that many of our towns simply cannot support a 'good mix of shops' anymore. Providing 'an unbeatable range of shops' will not do the trick either. Even the large places that have retained a mix are nothing more than 'Clone Towns'. You can go to many a High Street blindfold and when it's removed you'd be hard pushed to name the town you are in.
Two other points need to be made.
First, a good deal of consumption is migrating to the internet, as newspapers know only too well.
Secondly, I believe that national retaliers now need far fewer shops to reach a significant level of the population. This is a further change to a metric of the mix that is resulting in significant damage to small and medium sized towns.
Whether we are on the cusp of a significant reduction in the consuming habit more generally remains to be seen. The last decade has, to use Lawson's phrase, been the age of 'turbo-consumerism'.
From what I can tell Preston's Tithebarn scheme and the Blackburn Mall re-development are predicated on this not only continuing but doing so at an ever more rapid rate. The real danger that is revealed here is that there aren't enough shoppers to go around so someone, somewhere is going to be sorely disappointed.
Those are the facts as I see them although as always I'm open to pursausion that my assessment of the situation is wrong.'
onlyoneway, Blackburn says...
9:25pm Mon 20 Jul 09
M.DANNY, kirklees says...
9:58pm Mon 20 Jul 09
paul of darwen, Darwen says...
9:20am Tue 21 Jul 09
harry wrote:What a ridiculous statement - a total contradiction. He admits regeneration is going on so decides to stay away forever! What kind of logic is that? Does Harry think Preston won't be one giant building site if this development goes ahead. Unfortunately, someone hasn't invented a way of rebuilding a town centre without forcing people like Harry to look a little longer for a parking space. Harry, perhaps you have such an invention or are you sat there with your head up your backside?
made the mistake of going into Blackburn yesterday morning and what an absolute **** up the car park is whilst the regeneration is going on. are they trying to drive people away? i wont be gracing that hell hole of a town any longer.
onlyoneway, Blackburn says...
11:36am Fri 24 Jul 09
Darwen and Rossendale’s Janet Anderson
Blackburn’s Jack Straw
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Robbie, Manchester says...
10:27am Sat 18 Jul 09
why people vote for her i dont know