‘Desperately needed’ affordable homes the only type of property on new South Ribble estate near ex-IKEA site

An estate made up entirely of homes classed as ‘affordable’ is to be built in Lostock Hall.

The 76-dwelling development - on land at the junction of Lostock Lane and Stanifield Lane - has been given the go-ahead by South Ribble Borough Council's planning committee.

The Places for People scheme will see 40 of the homes offered for shared ownership - intended for those who would otherwise be unable to afford a deposit and mortgage payments in full. The arrangement means they will instead be able to purchase a portion of the property and pay rent to the landlord for the share they do not own.

The remaining 36 homes will be offered for social rent, which usually equates to around half the cost of local market rates.

A mix of two, three and four-bedroomed, terrace, semi-detached and detached houses - and a three-storey block of a dozen, two-bedroomed apartments - will feature on the 2.1-hectare site.

They will stand on the edge of land earmarked for the long-planned ‘Lancashire Central’ logistics, retail and leisure development at Cuerden - where an IKEA store was once proposed - and alongside an under-construction open-market estate by Rowland Homes, for 74 properties.

Committee member Cllr Pete Pillinger welcomed the discounted nature of the proposed dwellings, which he said were “in desperate need” - a sentiment echoed by fellow councillors.

However, Cllr Phil Smith expressed concern about the impact of the plans on the already congested road network in the area. While he acknowledged the "substantial" junction upgrades in the pipeline for the A582, he said the now aborted vision to turn the entire route between Lostock Hall and Penwortham into a dual carriageway was the “only” way of properly addressing the issue.

“We go on approving application after application, making the whole system worse,” Cllr Smith said.

As part of the permission, the developer has agreed to make a £100,000 contribution to elements of the planned A582 works in the immediate vicinity - money that will go towards “interim measures” if the timing of the housebuilding and delivery of the highways improvements does not align.

Lydia Gallagher, the agent for the application, stressed that Places for People had also responded to initial concerns from locals that the entrance to the estate - via Lostock Lane and Old School Lane - risked turning the latter into “a rat-run through to Leyland”. Instead, that road will now be closed off as a through-route to motor vehicles from a fixed point along its length.

On the benefits of the scheme, Ms. Gallagher said it would “provide much-needed homes for local families, first-time buyers and those looking for affordable accommodation”.

She added :”Places for People are not simply building these homes and moving on. As a long-term affordable housing provider, they're committed to managing and maintaining this development as part of their portfolio.”

However, committee member Cllr Mary Green remained concerned about adding to the volume of traffic - and suggested that the development was out of keeping with the area. She said there was no existing residential property nearby "comparable" in scale to the apartment block.

Nevertheless, the rest of the committee voted by a majority to approve the application, subject to South Ribble's planning officers reaching a legal agreement with Places for People to deliver a series of conditions attached to the permission, including the highways funding.