Patel brothers plan £100m rival to Tithebarn
Preston's Patel brothers have unveiled plans to build a mixed-use tower on a site that Grosvenor and Lend Lease have already incorporated into their £750m Preston Tithebarn regeneration scheme.
Brothers Arif, Munaf and Faisal want to redevelop the town's Tradex building, which they own. They plan to create a complex of buildings reaching up to 19 storeys and housing shops, an exhibitions centre, flats, offices, botanical gardens and a health club on the Ringway site.
The brothers hope the scheme, which has been drawn up by architects Cassidy & Ashton, will be given the go-ahead in time for them to construct the building, which they want to call the Guild Legacy Building, for Preston's Guild celebrations in 2012.
Munaf Patel said: "We don't want to derail the Tithebarn project, but we can't see anything happening with it and we have our own plans. We could have this development done in three years if they give us the go-ahead.
"We just feel that putting a car park on the Ringway is just like putting an ugly nine-storey building on Deansgate rather than a beautiful glass building."
The Patels want a compromise to be reached to allow both developments to go ahead and plan to meet with Grosvenor and Land Lease at the end of January before submitting a planning application.
The revelation will come as another blow to Grosvenor and Lend Lease, who plan to use the building, which is currently leased to Big D, as a multi-storey car park for the Tithebarn's anchor tenant John Lewis.
If no agreement is found Preston council and its partners Grosvenor/Lend Lease will be able to apply for a compulsory purchase order.
This is the second of the plans submitted by the Patels which could have a potential impact on the Tithebarn scheme.
An application for 75 apartments and 32 parking spaces to be built at the junction of Shepherd Street and Rose Street – located next door to the site of the proposed new bus station on the corner of Manchester Road, which was recognised as being vital to the Tithebarn scheme – was refused planning permission in September 2007 after officers found it did not comply with planning policy.
A revised planning application is still being considered.
