The North West edge of Preston could see up to 5,300 homes built in what councillors claim is a new “garden city”.
AdvertisementA masterplan which takes in the Broughton, Cottam, Fulwood , Ingol, Tanterton and Woodplumpton areas outlines Preston City Council’s desire to direct development to this area.
The plan includes proposals for new roads, two new primary schools, a secondary school and a health centre alongside the thousands of homes.
Councillor John Swindells, Deputy Leader of Preston City Council, said: “This is about building long lasting and sustainable communities, not just houses. North West Preston is a key site for future development. It’s a desirable place to live and developers are keen to build there – so we have to strike the right balance between allowing new homes to be built and meeting the needs of the people who will live there.
“Transport, health, education and access to green space all have to be factored in. The draft master plan does this and its garden city vision is a very interesting and exciting concept. It would provide for new strong, prosperous and well connected communities – all whilst allowing Preston to grow and boost the local economy.”
Developers have been waiting for a statement of intent from the council, after the planning committee were left helpless by the lack of a plan for the area.
The North West edge of the city was identified in the Central Lancashire core strategy which looked for strategic locations which could support significant housing developments.
The masterplan has been drawn up by planning consultants URS – who held a number of consultation events, at short notice, in November – when an outline document of the plan was placed online.
Transport infrastructure in the area would need to be improved in the area before it could develop – with the new M55 link road, known as the Western Distributor to be built and the Broughton bypass too.
Consultation on the masterplan runs from January 20 to February 14.
You can view all the documents relating to the masterplan on the council website and available to view at the Town Hall.
An outline sketch of the masterplan is below:
North West Preston Masterplan by BlogPreston
We’ll be wading through the documents to bring you more detail in the coming days, if you spot anything drop us an email on contactus@blogpreston.co.uk or leave a comment below. We’re interested to hear your views, is this the right way for the city to develop?