City park works could take five years to start

Works to build a new park which would run through a city could take up to five years to start, a report has said.

The linear park, which would form a single green corridor through the north west of Preston, would include an alternative off-road route for the Guild Wheel.

It was likely to be "designed, delivered and maintained by a procured organisation" on behalf of the local authority "in consultation with the local community".

A report presented to a Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City deal meeting said the Preston City Council project was in its "early stages".

Space for the facility was set aside in a masterplan drawn up in 2017 to guide the development of about 5,500 homes.

The masterplan indicated it would be one of two new metropolitan parks to be created and would stretch from the junction of Sandy Lane and Bartle Lane to a point just north of Hoyles Lane.

The vision for the linear park had previously caused controversy, because of the presence of electricity pylons that would run down the middle.

The area either side of the pylons would not have been suitable for housing, meaning an alternative use had to be found, the report said.

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