Plans for former Preston car showroom

Wednesday, 24 July 2024 10:05

By Paul Faulkner - LDRS

Mystery surrounds the identity of a food retailer that is eyeing up a vacant car showroom in Preston for a new outlet.

Plans have been submitted to Preston City Council to convert the former Chapelhouse Suzuki dealership on the corner of Blackpool Road and Plungington Road. The branch closed earlier this year before moving to new premises on Preston New Road near Blackpool.

The application – lodged by Leeds-based design company DB3 Group – seeks permission for a “new food retail unit”. However, the documentation makes no mention of the operator of the proposed outlet.

The facility would fall into a planning use category which seemingly rules out a fast food firm – because it permits the display and sale of goods “other than hot food”.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached DB3 Group for further details about the type of retail operation being proposed for the site.

No changes to the access points for vehicles or pedestrians are intended as part of the plans.

However, the city council’s own waste management department has already responded to the plans by demanding more detail about how the operator will deal with the rubbish generated by the development, should it be approved

A letter to town hall planners states that the applicant has failed to provide “adequate information on the proposed waste arrangements” and asks that the waste management strategy accompanying the application is “correctly completed and returned for assessment”.

That strategy is laid out on a form which asks for information about the number and type of bins planned for the site and how waste will be stored and collected. But each of the questions was answered with “n/a” [not applicable].