Lancaster to approve 80 homes and 269,000 sq ft university extension

Officers have recommended that the local authority approve both an expansion to research facilities at Health Innovation One and a neighbourhood extension to Halton by Applethwaite Homes.

Land to the West of Health Innovation One

Architect Sheppard Robson is behind the scheme’s design. Credit: via planning documents

Lancaster University expects to receive outline permission from the local authority to bring 269,100 sq ft of research floorspace to three plots by the university’s £41m Health Innovation One site.

Proposals lodged with Lancaster City Council to bring forward the five-block development have been recommended for approval by officers.

The blocks will complement the existing 100,250 sq ft research building that stands on the 22-acre plot off Sir John Fisher Drive.

Designs by architect Sheppard Robson indicate three plots would be developed and that the blocks would rise no higher than four storeys.

Blocks A1 and A3 would each offer 56,000 sq ft of office or research space. Block A2 would be the largest at 64,500 sq ft.

Finally, Block B1 and B2 would provide 49,500 sq ft and 4,300 sq ft, respectively.

The campus would be serviced by up to 384 car parking spaces.

BAM Construction rounded off construction of the £41m Health Innovation One in 2020 via earlier consents for the wider campus.

The site in question is allocated as a strategic employment site within the wider Lancaster South Broad Location for Growth.

Plans were first submitted to Lancaster City Council by the university with the assistance of planner CBRE in June.

Hilson Moran, Orion Heritage, Tyler Grange, Markides Associates, and Proximity are all on the project team.

To view the scheme, use the planning reference number 25/00593/OUT in Lancaster City Council’s planning portal.

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Land south of Low Road

The scheme has a large public open space area to its east. Credit: via planning documents

An application from Applethwaite Homes to build 80 houses on open fields in Halton has also been recommended to proceed.

Plans have been slightly revised from an original 90-home scheme.

PWA Planning submitted the plans on behalf of Applethwaite, which have been drawn up by Woodcroft Design.

A large slice of the 15.75-acre site would be reserved as public open green space. Access would be taken off Low Road running along the site’s northern edge.

The application’s project team includes Tyler Grange, Eddisons, and Betts Hydro.

Those interested in the application can use the planning reference number 23/01327/OUT on Lancaster City Council’s planning portal.