More than 90 new homes for Longridge but developer must fund school places

Plan for 91 homes at Alston Grange, west of Preston Road at Longridge.

Plans for over 90 new homes on land at Longridge have been approved by Ribble Valley Council, pending an agreement for the developer to provide funding towards extra school spaces in the area.

Applicant Adam Dohren of Building C in Warrington has been granted approval with conditions for 91 homes at Alston Grange, on land west of Preston Road at Longridge.

The site is a partially complete residential development off Preston Road, Longridge, called Alston Grange. Most of the planning application site relates to a third phase of the development, currently grassland, north-west of phases one and two, east of Mardale Playing Fields and south of Millbeck Close, which is part of the Mardale estate.

Councillors on Ribble Valley’s development committee granted permission for the scheme at their latest meeting.

Through a planning arrangement called a Section 106 agreement, the developer will be expected to pay funds towards a new primary school in Longridge, as the first option, or towards an existing primary school in the Ribble Valley, as the second option.

Some work at the Longridge location is currently under-way by Tilia Homes and being done in phases. This new phase includes bungalows and larger houses. Various designs for different housing types and sizes have been submitted to the borough council. The application also includes proposals for a community hall, landscaping work and pubic open space.

In a report to councillors, Ribble Valley planning officers said the Longridge location has a wide range of facilities and services, and good public and private transport links.

Under the planning agreement conditions, no building work is allowed to start until a detailed, final water surface sustainable drainage strategy has been sent to Ribble Valley Council and approved. Other conditions cover elements such as roads, paths, cycleways and fencing over different phases of work.

In the past at the site, planning approval was given to plans regarding 275 homes at the Longridge site, a neighbourhood centre and other landscape and wildlife features in 2016. Then later for 256 homes and other features in 2018. Other applications there have been approved regarding market-value and affordable homes, play equipment and a turning area.