Rowland swaps offices for homes in Blackpool
The housebuilder wants to add 90 homes to its ongoing redevelopment of the former National Savings and Investments site off Preston New Road and Mythop Road.
Rowland Homes is already on site delivering 115 homes on the 12-acre western part of the site in Blackpool. The latest application proposes additional two-, three- and four-bedroom houses on 10 acres to the east, which formerly housed the offices of NS&I, the Government-run savings bank.
The eastern part of the plot, sold to Rowland following NS&I’s decision to close the site, was earmarked for offices and industrial units under an outline planning consent in 2016.
However, additional housing is now being sought instead of commercial space, as there is “no reasonable prospect of the site being brought back into employment use”, according to a planning statement by the scheme’s consultant De Pol Associates.
The former NS&I buildings, including the eight-storey Premium Bonds tower, were demolished in 2017.
The tower was once home to Ernie – the Electronic Random Number Indicating Equipment that selects Premium Bond winners.
The 90-home phase is recommended for approval by Blackpool Council’s planning committee, which meets next week.
More houses and therefore people in Blackpool, but with less recourse than ever to job creation with land set aside in the Local Plan for employment opportunities not taken up by pertinent parties. Whilst highly fanciful and not in keeping with a ‘build everywhere’ strategy, it would nevertheless have been nice if Blackpool Borough Council had acquired the land for tree planting, etc, to rewild the area and benefit existing residents and wildlife. A nonsense idea, I know!
By Ernie Else