Plans worked up for 124,000 sq ft agricultural auction facility
Thirty acres off Junction 33 of the M6 south of Lancaster could be redeveloped into a purpose-built facility for L&K Group, which owns North West Auctions.
Plans are being worked up for the scheme, which features an 81,000 sq ft auction mart building for holding stock, auction rings, offices, catering and conference facilities, and small commercial units.
This would be the main element of the proposals and would be the epicentre of North West Auctions operations. The business is a specialist in agricultural auctions with a focus on livestock, land, and farm machinery.
Six commercial totalling 43,600 sq ft would also be delivered, according to plans.
The new-build elements total 124,000 sq ft and would be delivered across 15 acres of the wider 30-acre site, which is north of the proposed Ellel Holiday Village, rejected by Lancaster City Council in 2024.
Existing farm buildings on the site with heritage value would be retained and converted into offices, according to planning documents prepared by MWT Planning. Mason Gillibrand Architects is also advising the applicant.
North West Auctions has an existing site in Lancaster, and another three junctions north of the M6 outside of Kendal. Plans for a new Lancaster facility have been in the works since at least 2015 when North West Auctions signed an option agreement on the land. A letter sent to shareholders at the time said the move would “maximise the potential sale revenue of the existing eight acre site on Wyresdale Road”, according to the Westmorland Gazette.
To learn more about its plans for Junction 33, search for reference number 26/00620/EIR on Lancaster City Council’s planning portal.
