430 new homes planned for Cottam as part of broader scheme for 5,500 in North West Preston

Proposed development between Sidgreaves Lane and William Young Way

Plans have been revealed to build up to 430 new homes in Cottam.

The dwellings would form part of a proposed development on land between Sidgreaves Lane and William Young Way – the new east-west link road which opened last summer.

The 22.7-hectare site has already been earmarked for housebuilding as part of the broader plan to create around 5,500 homes across North West Preston between the mid-2010s and the mid-2030s.

The specifics of the scheme have emerged after developer Morris Homes asked Preston City Council to determine whether an environmental impact assessment (EIA) will be needed as part of the process of applying for full planning permission.

Documentation submitted to town hall planners reveals that land has been reserved in the north west corner of the site for a primary school. That would be one of two primary facilities suggested for North West Preston in a masterplan drawn up in 2017 to dictate the sprawling expansion of the area.

However, a plot reserved for the other primary school, north of Tabley Lane – which was approved as part of an estate granted permission in November 2020 – remains without the proposed facility.

Just this week, Lancashire County Council has said that the development of primary schools across North West Preston must be “carefully considered” and so remains under review – with the authority making no commitment to build on any particular site.

The proposed housing development also includes space for part of a ‘linear park’ to be created in the area.

In its so-called ‘screening report’ lodged with the city council, Pegasus Group, on behalf of Morris Homes, concludes that an EIA should not be necessary.

The document states that the development would form “a natural extension to the existing urban edge of…Cottam” in an area which other housebuilding has already rendered “a more urban setting”.

It adds: “The site is not located within a sensitive area …[and as] the environmental effects associated with the proposals are unlikely to be significant and [are] well understood, standard mitigation measures can be adopted.”

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