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Construction could finally start on a row of shops which were approved to replace an Indian restaurant four years ago.
Planning permission was granted in 2021 for the former Shampan restaurant in Penwortham to be knocked down and replaced by three shops and a hot food takeaway. However, the work has long been delayed and raised questions over whether the development would ever proceed.
The building, on Pope Lane, was erected as the Plough Inn in the 1950s on the site of an earlier pub of the same name which had been there for at least a century. The Plough Inn closed in 2008 and was converted into a restaurant.
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It had been empty since May 2019 and became a hotspot for anti-social behaviour with reports of arson and vandalism made by neighbours. Under the plans agreed two years later, it was to be demolished and replaced with a row of units which included a takeaway, a food store and two non-food retail units.
Demolition took place in 2022 but since then, little activity has been seen on the site.
The matter was raised by a member of the public at a Penwortham Town Council meeting, where it was explained that the suggestion of a compulsory purchase order had been. If carried out, this would have allowed South Ribble Borough Council to claim ownership of the land.
It is often a condition of planning approvals that development must begin within a certain timeframe – usually three years – and there had been questions over whether the lack of progress would mean these works were no longer allowed.
However, it is understood that the demolition counted as the beginning of the development and therefore the permission remains in place.
Blog Preston also understands that a building control notice has been submitted to South Ribble Borough Council, indicating that construction is likely to begin soon.
These two factors, it is argued, meant that a compulsory purchase would have been both unviable and unnecessary.
South Ribble Borough Council was approached for comment.
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