Revealed: radical new Local Plan for borough
MORE than 15,000 homes could be built in West Lancashire as the council considers a significant extension to its Local Plan policy.
West Lancashire Borough Council this week revealed its proposals for the future of the borough until 2050, with thousands of homes to be built in areas of Skelmersdale, Ormskirk and Burscough, as well as entirely new villages being created.
A total of 180 hectares (445 acres) of employment space will be created, while the plans also raise the possibility of additional primary schools to meet the new demand.
A designated permanent traveller site could also be build near the Yew Tree Farm site in Burscough, near the M58 corridor.The proposals will result in the loss of Green Belt land, which is likely to prove controversial.
The current Local Plan, which is a legally binding plan for development in the borough, is just five years old and runs until 2027.
But the council is arguing that with national policy changing so quickly, it is essential to start planning early to ensure local voices are key in making decisions for the borough and that such planning is done effectively.
The proposals will first be raised at a planning committee meeting tonight (Thursday), before going before the cabinet next Tuesday.
If approved by the cabinet, a public consultation on the Proposed Local Plan Preferred Options will be held through October and November.
Skelmersdale and Ormskirk will be central to the plans. If all goes ahead, more than 8,500 homes will be built in Skelmersdale and the south eastern parishes, along with 150 hectares (370 acres) of employment land.
The significant development in Skelmersdale is seen as key to the bid for a new train link to the town being constructed, as well as boosting the business case for the planned new town centre.
These proposals for the Skelmersdale area will also result in the creation of three garden villages: to the north of the A577 Dicket’s Lane / Blaguegate Lane (about 1,500 homes); to the east of the B5240 Lyelake Lane (about 2,500 homes); and to the northeast of the A570 Rainford Bypas.
Three 100-bed care homes will also be built in this area, as well a logistics site near the M58 and two new primary schools will “potentially” be erected.
About 3,000 homes will be built in Ormskirk and Aughton, as well as a sports centre and “knowledge park and student accommodation village” on St Helens Road with space for 1,000 people.
These proposals are designed to attract new, hi-tech businesses to the town, and provide purpose-built student accommodation to alleviate the demand for houses of multiple occupation.
It is also hoped that the developments will enable university graduates to stay in West Lancashire by offering more of the right type of jobs and accommodation for young professionals to buy and rent.
In Burscough, almost 1,500 homes are planned, with the majority already listed in the Yew Tree Farm Masterplan. It will result in at least 1,000 homes built on the site, a 100-bed care home, a town park and potentially a new primary school.
In addition to this, the new Local Plan will designate land to the west of Tollgate Lane for employment space and raises the possibility of it also becoming home to a designated site for travellers.
A further 900 homes are planned for the western parishes of the borough, and more than 500 in the eastern parishes.
Guidelines on what businesses are allowed to open in certain areas, such as Ormskirk town centre, will also be enforced to protect the character of each area of the borough.
According to the council, the proposed preferred options will ensure that the rural areas of the borough will continue to be strongly protected from inappropriate development, with more than 88% of West Lancashire remaining as Green Belt.
This, council chiefs argue, will allow the agricultural sector to “continue making its significant contribution to UK food production and ensuring that the natural environment of the borough will be protected and enhanced”.
Cllr John Hodson, portfolio holder for planning and development, said: “The council is ambitious for West Lancashire – our economy, the environment and for the health and wellbeing of residents.
“These Local Plan Preferred Options propose a new Local Plan that reflects those ambitions, seeking to ensure that West Lancashire improves as an attractive place that people will want to live, work and visit, and does so in a sustainable, planned manner over the next 30 years in a way that provides a degree of certainty for all.”