New Lancaster estate at Royal Albert Hospital will be built without affordable homes

Almost 60 new split-level houses can be built on Lancaster’s former Royal Albert Hospital site without any current plans for affordable homes there, councillors have decided.

However, a review must be allowed in future, to see if affordable housing can be supported there or elsewhere, if economic factors and the commercial viability of the development improves enough.

Councillors on Lancaster City Council’s planning committee have granted permission to Wrenman Homes, working with WVC Lancaster, for an amended plan of 59 new homes on the old hospital site off Ashton Road. Sixty-four homes were suggested in an earlier application but this was reduced.

The land is steep and the developers had argued that this and other factors would impact on building costs and expected profits. Therefore, they believed it was unrealistic to expect affordable homes at the development.

A series of experts had investigated the estimated costs, home design and size options and commercial forecasts in the weeks before the planning committee meeting. This process finished with some agreement on the developer’s opinion although there were also queries about whether the developer could obtain bank finance for the planned development, given the apparent challenges to make enough profit.

However, city council planning officers recommended approval with conditions.

In a ‘section 106’ planning agreement, the developer must pay £138,00 for provision of six secondary school places at Central Lancaster High or Lancaster Royal Grammar, and £95,000 towards changing facilities at Royal Albert playing fields.

The developer must also pay towards road or sustainable travel contribution, a play area, and the long term maintenance of landscaping, open space, drainage, roads and street lights at the new development.

At the planning meeting, Philip Rowland spoke against the application while Daniel Ratcliffe spoke in favour.

Under the amended plan, all houses will be two-storey and 22 are split-level to deal with the sloping land. One semi-detached house is split into lower ground and ground floors in one half and ground and first floor in the other half.

Councillors were told the houses will have natural slate roofs and mixed materials such as natural coursed stone, timber or resin cladding and white render with black fascias, windows and doors. The materials are similar to a Wrenman Homes development at Forest Heights in Halton.

Some objections to the Aston Road plan were sent to the city council in recent times. Complaints include unhappiness with alleged similarities to homes elsewhere, an alleged lack of space or small interior spaces, traffic congestion and HGV worries. Aldcliffe with Stodday Parish Council was one of the objectors.

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