A controversial £140 million scheme to regenerate a huge stretch of Lancaster has been left on the verge of collapse after the city council pulled out of the public inquiry into the scheme. The North Canal Corridor scheme, designed by 3D Reid, won outline planning permission in October and was set to include 32,500sq m of shops, 150 townhouses and flats, and an 800-space car park on a 4ha area to the east of the city centre.
But following massive opposition by the heritage lobby and the calling in of the scheme in January, the council — which supports the project — has now pulled out of the inquiry, leaving only opponents taking part. The council’s move last week followed the lead of developer Centros, which in March decided not to defend the scheme at the inquiry on the grounds of expense. In a statement, the council said: “Testing of evidence at the public inquiry has identified a number of issues which need to be addressed. In light of the decision by Centros not to appear before the inquiry these questions remain unanswered.”
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