So this morning the people of Preston and Lancashire woke up to the sad news that the Tithebarn project has been pulled due to a turnaround from John Lewis. Our local business editor David Coates, broke the news at 4am on his twitter feed and helped Emma Broom supply the front page of today’s LEP.

I’ve read the article, listened to comments on BBC Lancashire, monitored opinions on Twitter and it all comes down to one thing… it was a great idea but it came at the wrong time. I’m pretty sure I’m not the first to recognise that the Tithebarnd project became a bit of dream, rather than reality as soon as the UK fell into recession.

Yes, the ten years of planning this major regeneration project has now come to nothing but let’s not be pessimistic and think Preston is dying a slow death. There are a great number of opportunities within the city which we are not making use of. The city boasts a thriving student community, a good shopping centre, a prominent high street and it’s so close to the vital transport networks. We need to snap out of the doom and gloom and get cracking on how to utilise the city’s best bits.

A group has already been set up to revitalise the Winckley Square illustrating good will from local businesses and bodies and also proving that people can work together and make progress in a short space of time. A number of boutiques and cultural cafe’s could easily provide a continental style area of Preston around Winckley Street up to Cannon Street. Over the other side of the city, the market requires a complete make-over and the flag market needs to be brought back to life.  The majority of such areas have been overlooked while the Tithebarn project gained momentum and it’s time for a plan B. Surely the council and other bodies can now work together, look forward and make a start in making the city unique.