Wyre masterplans moot 600 homes and school
Two masterplans, which would together create more than 600 homes, a school and a car park across two sites in Poulton-le-Fylde, have opened for consultation by Wyre Council.
The first proposes an extension to the town of Forton, comprising a mixed-use development with around 310 homes, employment sites, a neighbourhood centre with a village hall and convenience store, and an extension to the existing primary school. The masterplan also includes substantial areas of green infrastructure.
The site has been split into four parcels for each purpose. Proposals state that Parcel A would hold 195 homes, 2.5-acres of employment land and possibly the neighbourhood centre. Parcel B could hold the village hall, will Parcel C could hold 35 homes. Parcel D would hold a school and 100 homes.
A draft masterplan has been created by Influence landscape architects on behalf of Hollins Strategic Land, which highlights the possible location of key uses and the design principles future developments would take into account.
The second consultation is on propsals for Blackpool Road in Poulton-le-Fylde. The masterplan by Barton Willmore identifies 5.2-acres for 300 homes and a primary school, along with a car park for the town centre.
Wyre Council is inviting residents to submit comments between now and 20 January 2020 on the Forton extension masterplan and the Blackpool Road, Poulton-le-Fylde masterplan, to help define the final drafts.
Once the five-week consultation period ends, the council will produce a summary of issues raised, to be published on the Wyre Council website. The council will then continue to finalise the plans with the landowners, developers and stakeholders, which will be submitted to Wyre Council’s Cabinet to be decided upon.
The Wyre Local Plan allocates land for development at Forton and Blackpool Road, and states it must be brought forward through masterplans to guide the future of the sites.
Wyre Council said: “The preparation of masterplans is a new approach to development in the Wyre, and ensures stakeholders and the local community have a say in shaping proposals.
“Through this process, [the council] hope to achieve high quality and well-thought out developments which provide communities with the facilities and amenities they need.”
1 – Forton is not a town but will become one with 300 homes dumped on it.
2 – Wyre has never had any interest in the views of residents; this is just another box-ticking exercise to give the impression that those most affected by bad planning decisions will have some say.
3 – The Blackpool Road site was not originally in Wyre’s thinking as an allocated site until it was suggested by the Planning Inspector overseeing the LP examination, seemingly to mitigate a reduction in dwellings proposed to be built in Inskip and ironically, Forton.
4 – What is being forced upon Great Eccleston and Hambleton is horrendous, the result of a borough-wide OAN that is thousands of dwellings higher than required.
By Frank Grimes