Green light for 135 affordable Lancaster homes, Middleton industrial

City councillors signalled their approval yesterday for two large-scale projects: the transformation of the former Skerton High School site into council housing and the building of 148,000 sq ft of sheds at Middleton Business Park.

Both decisions were in line with officer recommendation and will require a Section 106 agreement prior to becoming official.

Former Skerton High School

• Application reference number: 24/00509/FUL

Lancaster City Council’s goal to regenerate the Mainway council estate has received a boost, now that the local authority’s application build 135 affordable homes on the former Skerton High School site have received councillor approval.

Skerton High School, which closed in 2014, had already been demolished to make way for the new homes on the nine-acre site.

These residences will be a mixture of apartments and terraced houses, with between two and four bedrooms. In total, there will be 64 one-bed homes, 46 two-bed residences, 21 three-bed houses, four four-bed ones.

All of the flats will be available for social rent, with the terraced homes’ exact form of affordable housing tenure undisclosed.

Two six-storey blocks would house the majority of the apartments, with one holding 40 flats and the other having 35. The latter would also contain 3,600 sq ft of ground-floor community space.

In addition to the community space provided in the apartment block, there would also be a central square with a lawn and café-style seating for residents to enjoy. Designs by architect Grounded Practice also include two football pitches and associated changing facilities, as well as a play area for kids.

A total of 110 trees will be planted as part of the effort.

A priority junction would be introduced onto Owen Road to enable access to the site. There would 89 spaces for residents to park, including six disabled bays and 10 for mobility scooters.

Cllr Caroline Jackson, Leader of Lancaster City Council, described the committee’s decision as a “huge step forward in our regeneration efforts for Mainway”. These include transforming the 257-home council estate, which sits next to the school, into a neighbourhood filled with energy-efficient homes.

Jackson said: “It’s not just about building new homes, but about creating a vibrant community space that people can be proud of, and it will make a real difference to local families and the wider Lancaster community.”

In addition to Grounded Practice, the project team includes landscape architect Shape, transport consultant Heyne Tillett Steel, and Place Capital Group. Turley is the planner and is also advising on flood risk, heritage, and visual impact.

Sports strategist KKP, mineral resource expert Wardell Armstrong, ground investigator GEA, ecologist UES, and arboriculturalist MD Landscape also contributed to the planning application. As did Azymuth Acoustics, LEDA, Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture, and Redmore Environmental.

The site is allocated as employment land with the Lancaster District Local Plan Proposals Map. Credit: Google Earth

Land at Middleton Business Park

• Application reference number: 23/01182/OUT

Concert Projects can move forward with its plans to build 148,000 sq ft of storage and distribution space on 11 acres of the former ICI depot, which sits north of Middleton Road. The site has been allocated for employment in the area’s local plan and is listed as part of the Heysham Gateway strategic employment site.

The approved plans include the building of nine sheds between 7,800 sq ft and 34,300 sq ft. However, since this is an outline application, this could change.

This was the second time Concert Projects had brought proposals for the site to committee. A similar application was shot down in 2022 because of lack of environmental impact information – an error that was not repeated this go round.

JWPC is the planning consultant for the scheme. Sunderland Peacock Architects, Vectos/SLR Transport Planning Consultants, BEK Ecology, Yew Tree, and Miller Goodall round out the project team.