A MAJOR jobs boost is heading for Lancaster after city planners sanctioned plans for a new £30 million business park, hotel and restaurant this week. The development, at Cottams Farm on Caton Rd, is expected to create 1,000 jobs and the first tenants could be installed by the end of the year. Already named as the Lancaster Business Park it has been described as a superb location for development and is expected to attract distribution companies, office based businesses and research firms.

At a council meeting on Monday Vic Crumley, chief planning officer for Lancaster City Council, said: "Considerable new jobs will be provided, it is in the interests of the district that the development site is opened up for local companies."

A hotel, restaurant, petrol station as well as some small scale convenience shops are being built to serve the people working on the site. Earlier fears that these would have an adverse affect on city retailers were laid to rest by the developers this week.

Christine Large, vice president of the London based developers, Wiggins Lancaster Ltd, said: "If people working there want to go out and buy a paper it means they won't have to go off site to do so, they will be able to use the on site shops.

"The area is superb for a business park because it's next to junction 34 of the M6 and there is plenty of provision for parking."

Cllr Pat Rye said the council needed to attract new businesses to the area without weakening city centre retailers. He said: "We are in a sense trying to reconcile different objectives."

Members of Transport 2000 group for North Lancashire said they were sad to see the loss of another green field site. A spokesman said: "If it is to be developed we would wish to see strong disincentive for car use, complemented by provision for alternative forms of transport."

The final decision rests with chief planner Vic Crumley

who was given delegated responsibility to over see traffic and highway matters.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.