The £370m Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal, designed to invest in the city’s infrastructure including roads, transport and job growth has seen benefits in its first year.
AdvertisementThe City Deal programme launched a year ago and in this time, Preston has welcomed new and improved roads, schools, improved transport times during congested hours, and housing developments.
Jim Carter, chair of the City Deal, is pleased with the progress made in the last twelve months, “ “In the relatively short space of time since it was launched, people are already benefiting from these plans, with much more to come.
“Thanks to the City Deal, central Lancashire will be transformed over the next few years, growing the local economy by over £1bn and making it an even better place to live and work. It will create more than 20,000 new jobs and more than 17,000 new homes.
“As well as planning for future developments, people will see immediate benefits from the work that’s been taking place, including shorter journey times, less congestion and improved safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
“This is already a great place to live and work. And thanks to the City Deal, it’s about to get even better.”
Improvements that locals would have picked up on include the new Broughton bypass, the work that continues to be done on the A582 and the building of houses on the former Whittington Hospital site all of which are a result of this investment programme which is said to open up job opportunities, improve travel times and create great places for families to live.
These improvements are just the start in the long-term plan to rejuvenate the city, with plans for Preston Bus Station and the £1m project on New Hall Lane just glimpses into future developments in store for the city.
Preston welcomed the Deal in June last year, which was brought together through agreements made between Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, along with central government and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).