Lancashire moves to keep Cottam Parkway on track 

The county council is seeking permission to use compulsory purchase powers to acquire land to build a train station north-west of Preston city centre, as part of a plan to support the delivery of 5,000 homes in the area. 

A planning application for the proposed two-platform station near Cottam is being readied and Lancashire County Council is in talks with landowners over acquiring the land needed for the project. 

However,“there is no guarantee that [the landowners] would be prepared to conclude negotiations by agreement”a report to the council’s cabinet warned. 

As a result, the authority is planning to acquire the land through compulsory purchase to “ensure the progression of the scheme”. 

Lancashire County Council’s cabinet is expected to approve the use of compulsory purchase orders at a meeting on Thursday.

The station, which would be built close to the former Lea Road railway station that closed in 1936, would unlock land for housing development in the North West Preston strategic housing location, as outlined under Prestons’s local plan. 

Cottam Parkway, which forms part of the Central Lancashire highways and transport masterplan, would also improve connections between Preston, Manchester, Blackpool and London and reduce traffic congestion on roads in the area, according to the council. 

In 2018, a successful bid to the Transforming Cities fund, a £2.5bn Government purse aimed at boosting prosperity in English city regions, secured £22.3m towards the construction of the Cottam Parkway station.

Earlier this year, the project received further backing in the form of a £2.3m contribution from the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal. 

The Cottam area will also soon benefit from the construction of the Preston Western Distributor Road, a £200m link road that will run north-south between the M55 and the A583, which is due to be open in 2023. 

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