Porsche Centre gains consent in Preston

Lancashire’s Local Enterprise Partnership is to sign off the business case for the Preston Western Distributor road scheme, linking the A583 with the M55, at a meeting later this month, despite costs on the project increasing by nearly £60m.

Work has started on the £17.5m Penwortham Bypass, a dual carriageway linking the A59 Liverpool Road to the A582, due to complete in 2020.

Contractor Eric Wright Civil Engineering has been chosen to build a 3.5-mile tramway in Preston, which will bring tram services back to the city for the first time since the 1930s.

Hear from Transport for the North, Lancaster City Council, Mott MacDonald, Capital Real Estate and many more on the latest development projects, opportunities and issues in Lancashire, at this half-day conference on Wednesday 24 January.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has given the go-ahead to an extension of Blackpool’s Tramway, allowing contractor John Sisk & Son to start on site in the New Year.

The developer behind the proposed Fleetwood Quays project has said that the scheme “will be different from anything not just on the Fylde coast, but in the UK”.

Both railway links between Blackpool and Preston are to be closed from 11 November until 28 January while engineering and electrification works are completed.

John Sisk & Son has been picked to build an £18m extension to Blackpool’s tram network, running between Blackpool North station and North Pier.