Plans to turn former Lostock Hall medical centre into a funeral home are submitted

A former health centre could be turned into a funeral home.
The former Lostock Hall Medical CentreThe former Lostock Hall Medical Centre
The former Lostock Hall Medical Centre

Plans have been submitted for the former Lostock Hall Medical Centre, which was a doctor's surgery and health centre.

They will include a first floor office and new separate front entrance.

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Previous planning proposals had been put forward for the two-storey detached building on Leyland Road.

Now a revised application to South Ribble Council is seeking planning permission for the change of the ground floor of the premises into a funeral home.

The council has been told in a planning statement that the applicants - GPB Investments Ltd - have now secured specific interest in a funeral home use at the site from Neal Buckley Funeral Director who is local to the area and has funeral homes in Penwortham, Tarleton and Hutton.

An application submitted in January by the applicants for retail use was withdrawn in April .

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The intention had been to develop the property retail/shop use with offices above to be separately entranced.

However, the application proved problematical due to the likely availability of parking provision, particularly given the circumstances that developed once the former use had been vacated.

The council and highway authority apparently had specific concerns about a possible use as a convenience store and the number of parking spaces sought rising to around 15 which was not achievable.

There were also third party objections and elected member representations.

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Furthermore, the site is not within the Tardy Gate District Centre.

Given these circumstances it was felt best to withdraw that application and resubmit an alternative proposal that was more likely to receive planning permission.

Hours of operation would be normal working hours 8.30am to 6pm - Monday to Friday, and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

One permanent member of staff would be operational at the proposed funeral home on a permanent basis although Mr Buckley would visit the premises and be there for appointments with mourners, as might his assistants based at the other homes in bringing the deceased to the rooms of repose and in their collection with a hearse for funerals.

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Any required special arrangements for funerals would be conducted from the main funeral home on Liverpool Road..

The planning report concludes that: "It is considered that it has been adequately demonstrated that the proposed development will appropriately re-use an existing building close to the District Centre and bring about important new investment within the Borough.

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