Delivering much-needed new homes in Lancashire
The Lanes, Penwortham, has been earmarked for major development by South Ribble since the year 2000 and is allocated as a Major Site for Development within South Ribble Borough Council’s Local Plan (2015). It is also a key part of the Central Lancashire City Deal, a 10-year infrastructure delivery programme which aims to increase the size of the economy by £1 billion.
As part of the City Deal – which is expected to generate more than 20,000 new private sector jobs – the site has been recognised as a prime location for the delivery of some of the 7,000 new homes required by the council between now and the end of the Local Plan period in 2026.
Taylor Wimpey, together with its development partner, Homes England, has submitted an outline planning application for 1,100 homes and a full planning application for the Cross Borough Link Road (CBLR).
Aerial view courtesy of Google Earth
City Deal
The City Deal will also generate:
• Around £1 billion growth in Gross Value Added;
• 17,420 new homes; and
• £2.3 billion in leveraged commercial investment.
It will see huge levels of investment pumped into South Ribble, resulting in new roads, better public transport, improved public spaces and reduced congestion. Required infrastructure to support population growth, such as new schools and health centres, will also be provided.
A City Deal Infrastructure Delivery Programme and City Deal Investment Fund have been established by the City Deal Partners which together are worth £450m over the lifetime of the Deal.
The Lanes site has been recognised as a prime location to support the planned economic growth and help deliver the 17,000 new homes.
Considerations and opportunities for The Lanes
In order to inform the final Masterplan for The Lanes, which has now been submitted to the Council, a range of environmental reports have been prepared by an experienced technical team, commissioned by Taylor Wimpey and Homes England.
The planning application is accompanied by an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The EIA contains both the baseline assessments and a suite of detailed technical assessments which will put forward mitigation measures, where required, to offset any significant environmental impacts. These mitigation measures will be proposed as part of the planning application.
Noise
Noise modelling software has been used to predict the road and rail traffic noise levels associated with construction and operation on sensitive receptors both on and off site. Vibration sources associated with train passbys have also been assessed. With regards to transportation sound, it is necessary that good acoustic design is incorporated into the design for areas bordering roads, especially Penwortham Way.
To prevent unnecessary discomfort to future residents, homes that lie within the zone indicated in red below should not have all of the back gardens fronting on to Penwortham Way. This will minimise the impact of noise levels from Penwortham Way through good design and siting.
Ecology and trees
(The new development will include enhancements to support local wildlife including ‘bio corridors’ throughout)
A Phase 1 Habitat Survey, Hedgerow Regulations Assessment and protected species surveys for great crested newts, badgers, water voles, birds and bats have been undertaken to identify any ecological constraints present on the site. No evidence of great crested newts, badgers or water voles was found during the surveys and the site is considered to be unsuitable for reptiles. The hedgerows and trees on the site provide abundant nesting opportunities for local bird populations as well as foraging habitat for bats. A large number of the trees were found to contain features which could be used by roosting bats, although no evidence of roosts was found during the surveys.
Air Quality
The site is not located within an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA); the closest AQMA is located 400m to the east of the site on Leyland Road. All receptors sensitive to road vehicle exhaust emissions have been modelled including those within the AQMA in order to quantify the impact of the traffic generated by the development on receptors. The modelling has shown that the concentration of NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide), PM10 and PM2.5 (Particulate matter - Particulate matter (PM) is a term used to describe the mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air) are predicted to be below all relevant quality objectives.
However as the site is located in proximity to Penwortham Way and adjacent to a railway line there is the potential for elevated pollutant levels as a result of road vehicle exhaust emissions and diesel locomotive emissions (although these levels are still below relevant air quality objectives). Providing that the proposed residential units are not located immediately adjacent to Penwortham Way and are greater than 30m away from the railway line, the future site users will not be exposed to elevated pollutant concentrations. A 30m buffer zone from the railway tracks is recommended for the purposes of air quality in line with local and national requirements. As such, air quality is not considered a constraint to future development.
Flood Risk and Drainage
The site is at risk from surface water flooding. Integral to the development will be proposals to safely manage surface water runoff to overall achieve a reduction in flood risk to the site and its immediate surrounding area. The proposals ensure that surface water runoff from the development is safely managed, and manage surface water flood risk to the site and adjacent lands. The measures ensure no adverse effect on flooding elsewhere.
Heritage
Heritage surveys have found that no Designated Heritage Assets located on the site. There are therefore no barriers to development identified which would preclude the site from being developed in line with planning policy requirements.
Utilities
Records obtained by Electricity North West, Cadent Gas, United Utilities Water, BT Openreach, Virgin Media and Centurylink have been used to inform the development of the Masterplan to ensure minimal impacts on the existing site infrastructure.
Overhead Electricity Pylons pass through the site creating a corridor constraint. Due to restrictions for development underneath the pylons, green spaces will be incorporated to help break up and minimise the visual impact of the pylons. This Pylon Corridor will be utilised in a variety of ways, with formal, informal and Sustainable Urban Drainage elements.
Topography
(Vegetation to the west of the proposed development)
Topographically, the site is relatively flat, and it is unlikely that bulk earthworks will be required as part of the development. Furthermore, the site features observed thus far would not preclude the site’s future development.
Pylons
Due to the restrictions for development underneath pylons, green spaces will be incorporated around the site’s pylons to break up and minimize the visual impact of these objects.
Our consultation process
An initial visioning consultation on the proposals for The Lanes, Penwortham, took place during the Summer of 2018. Taylor Wimpey held extensive series of public events, workshops and meetings with the public and stakeholders. This includes:
- Initial meetings with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Housing and Economic Growth to discuss the forthcoming public consultation
- A door knocking exercise for residents living within the site's boundaries to advise them of the proposals ahead of the consultation launch
- A leaflet advising of the consultation was issued to approximately 6,500 properties surrounding the site, to advise them of the consultation and ways to get involved
- A press release was issued to the Lancashire Evening Post and Blog Preston, both of whom covered the news
- A dedicated project website and Facebook page were launched detailing key information about the consultation and ways to get involved
- Two public exhibitions took place, the first in Penwortham and the second at Leyland Market, providing an opportunity for residents to discuss the development with members of the project team
- Workshops with residents living within the site were organised to allow those most directly impacted by the development to speak to the master planner one on one
- A series of meetings were held with stakeholders, including local ward members at South Ribble Borough Council, the Authority’s Cabinet, the relevant members of Lancashire County Council and Penwortham Town Council.
- A Steering Group was also established to allow stakeholders ongoing dialogue with the development team as the Masterplan progressed
- Formal pre-application meetings were held with key officers at South Ribble Borough Council and Lancashire County Council
- A dedicated community information email address is available throughout the entire consultation, providing residents and stakeholders the opportunity to speak to the development team with any immediate queries
- A Statement of Community Consultation, which details all the engagement undertaken, was prepared following the consultation
- The masterplan has been submitted and a link to this can be found on the overview page
- The safeguarded and allocated land for development is shown on the news and updates page
- An outline planning application was submitted in winter 2019 following a consultation process
FAQs
What is ‘The Lanes’?
‘The Lanes’ is a new mixed-use development from Homes England and Taylor Wimpey, which will comprise a range of one- to five- bedroom mews, detached and semi-detached properties as well as apartments, new local facilities including a Community Centre, public open spaces and road infrastructure.
It is an allocated site, identified as a major site for development within South Ribble Borough Council’s Local Plan (2015).
Where is ‘The Lanes’?
The proposed development is in Penwortham, South Ribble, Lancashire, around 4.8km to the south-east of Penwortham town centre and 6.4km to the south of Preston City Centre.
The northernmost part of the site sits within the ward of Charnock, with Farington West to the south.
Why is it called ‘The Lanes’?
‘The Lanes’ was named with respect to its position within Penwortham and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
The proposed development is bordered by a number of ‘lanes’ including Bee Lane, Moss Lane, Lord’s Lane, Nibs Lane, Chain House Lane and Cootes Lane.
What is an allocated site?
An allocated site is a location that has been identified and approved for a certain use – in this case, mixed-use development. Policies are provided in Local Plans which support the future development of allocated sites.
What is the site allocated for?
‘The Lanes’ will be a new, residential-led community for Penwortham.
The land itself also presents an opportunity for commercial space, green infrastructure and community facilities.
Included in the development will be new cycle routes, a primary school, shops, health facilities, a Community Centre and an Apprenticeship and Skills Centre.
Why is the site allocated for major new development?
Councils typically outline a local plan every 10-15 years, which acts as a forecast for the requirements of the borough.
In this case, South Ribble Borough Council identified a requirement for up to 7,000 new homes between now and 2026 to meet demand. ‘The Lanes’ has been identified as a major development site suitable for/capable of delivering approximately 1,350 new homes.
What is a masterplan?
A masterplan is a long-term planning document, providing a conceptual layout designed to guide growth and development. Having a masterplan in place enables planners to make and show connections between the surrounding environment, social setting and proposed buildings.
Masterplans are collated using several resources including public consultations, planning meetings and initiatives, existing developments in the area and other micro and macro socioeconomic conditions.
What will be done to reduce congestion?
Our plans include extending the Cross-Borough Link Road (CBLR) which would help to improve road infrastructure.
The CBLR extension will be a primary route through the site from Penwortham Way and link to The Cawsey Link Road to the north east.
The CBLR extension will be delivered in phases from west to east. A signal-controlled junction is proposed on Penwortham Way, which will create a gateway into the development and provide main access to the site.
To the east, the CBLR extension will connect to The Cawsey.
The main roadway through ‘The Lanes’ has a proposed width between 6.5m to 7.3m, except for the easternmost section of Bee Lane, which will remain as it is.
Some localised improvements are proposed on the eastern section of Bee Lane which will formalise traffic movements through this area.
Further plans include:
- Dualling of the A582 Penwortham Way – a planning application will be submitted by Lancashire County Council imminently, to transform the A582 into a dual carriageway. The proposed work will be completed by 2021
- Off-site highway improvements to the Leyland Road corridor – the timing of these improvements will be agreed by South Ribble Borough Council, Leyland County Council and Taylor Wimpey as part of the outline planning application submitted in December 2019
- Financial contributions to bus infrastructure improvements
- Off-site improvements to pedestrian and cycle infrastructure
Is the land classified as greenbelt?
No, the site is not greenbelt land. Greenbelt is defined as a specially designated area of land or countryside which is protected from most forms of development.
The site includes land allocated as a major development site, as outlined in South Ribble’s Local Plan.
When will ‘The Developers’ estimate work starting at The Lanes?
Subject to planning being approved, we anticipate the site will become an active construction site in April 2021, initially with remediation/infrastructure works.
How many new jobs is The Lanes expected to bring to the local community?
There are two principal areas of job creation, construction and operational. The construction phase includes the construction, building and installation of the new link road, houses, local centre, primary school, landscape areas and any other associated works.
Per annum this is likely to work out at approximately 200 jobs per year over 15-20 years. This is a conservative estimate and there will be times during the project when this is much higher, especially in the first 10 years when the link road, local centre and residential areas are being built simultaneously.
How do I register my interest in the site?
You can register your interest in ‘The Lanes’ by clicking here.
Who can I speak to about the proposed development?
All the information you need can be found on this web page. However, if you have any further questions or would like to speak to us, you can contact us via email by clicking here .