Demolition plan for college building dropped
THE owner of former college buildings in Ormskirk has pulled out of demolition plans, plunging the future of the site into more uncertainty.
The disused former Ormskirk College buildings had been earmarked to be knocked down after West Lancashire Borough Council’s Local Plan proposals were axed.
Gerry O’Brien, the owner of the Hants Lane buildings, had originally hoped to convert the site into housing, but said that such plans were impossible under existing rules and there was no alternative to demolition.
Under the Local Plan proposals, the site would have been designated for housing, but, with those proposals now discarded after public outcry, Mr O’Brien stated in his planning application that the uncertainty surrounding the future means it is unsustainable to continue paying business rates for an unused property.
Amid vandalism, trespass and complaints over its decrepit appearance, he has been attempting to renovate the site for two years, most recently by proposing to convert it into apartments, which he said was the only financially viable prospect.
But he says that pre-application talks with the council have repeatedly concluded that such an application would be rejected, due to the site’s allocation as employment land.
With no change likely to happen soon, Mr O’Neill said he could no longer fund the “huge costs” associated with the site, and wanted to demolish the college and replace it with purposebuilt employment space.
That application has now been withdrawn.