Artists impression showing the Queen Street retail park

Proposals for a major new retail park in the centre of Preston have been tabled.

A swathe of currently vacant land on Queen Street in Avenham is earmarked to be developed by the Brookhouse Group.

Plans for the area have been submitted showing an Aldi supermarket at the heart of the shopping park.

The land, which used to be the Horrockses Mill, has sat empty for years while legal debates raged about the land ownership.

Now what used to be the former Booths warehouse and distribution depot could see new retail units and a car park built.

More than 76,000 square foot of new store floorspace is to be created – on an area of land which has had planning permission since 1994 but has been stalled.

A statement from the developers said: “This current application is the first phase in a coordinated and comprehensive redevelopment of Horrocks Quarter.

“The development will also significantly increase investor confidence in the area. It is likely to produce spin-off benefits to businesses nearby and elsewhere within the ity centre, particularly through linked trips of shoppers who presently use stores outside the city centre.”

The supermarket at the centre of the proposals will be subject to its own full planning application.

Preston City Council’s city centre plan shows the Queen Street retail park as the catalyst for the rejuvenation of the Church Street area.

The full plans for Queen Street can be viewed on the city council website by searching planning reference 06/2014/0959.

What do you think of the Queen Street plan? Do you live nearby? Let us know in the comments below