More homes than first planned for new Leyland housing estate

Redrow has been granted permission for an expansion to its site off Leyland Lane and Shaw Brook Road, which it says will enable it to offer a wider range of cheaper house types.

The housebuilder has previously been given the go-ahead for up to 232 properties and South Ribble Borough Council’s planning committee has now said that the figure can be increased to 246.

Tony Blackwell, technical manager for Redrow Homes (Lancashire) told members: “The purpose of the application is to increase choice for purchasers by introducing smaller dwellings.

“These would be marketed at a lower price point than those being on the development currently, because market research and local sales experience has indicated that there is a demand.”

The original permission had required 46 ‘affordable’ properties to be offered at a discounted market rate on the site – and the overall increase in the size of the development will see that number rise by three.

That means that 20 percent of the estate will be classed as affordable, while Redrow will make a financial contribution to deliver other such properties elsewhere in the borough – equating to a further 10 percent of the Leyland Lane development – in order to meet the council’s planning requirements.

Committee member John Hesketh said he was “a little annoyed when we have [applicants] coming back for additional housing”.

“But the units are still density-compliant with our recommendations in South Ribble, so there isn’t anything we can do about it.”

The committee heard that highways bosses had not made any objection to the increase in the size of the development.

Outline permission for a total of 400 homes was granted back in 2017 and an application for the detailed design features of the remainder of the Redrow plot is expected to be brought forward at a later date.

The estate forms part of an even wider site that will ultimately see up to 600 homes built in the area, some of which is currently being developed by Lovell Homes. The combined estate will be linked by an internal road.