More than 100 affordable homes planned for Preston suburb - but will there be enough school places?

A bid by Breck Homes to build 102 properties on land east of Sidgreaves Lane will be considered by members of Preston City Council’s planning committee next week - with planning officers recommending councillors approve the proposal.

If the development gets the green light, the properties will all be made available for affordable rent - meaning that they will be offered at 80 percent or less of local market rates.

The site, which sits just south of William Young Way - the new East-West Link Road that opened last summer - would be split into two sections, with the plot divided by overhead powerlines. Beneath the cables, an area of public open space would be created - and the blueprint also features plans for a children’s play park on another part of the plot.

The most common property type on the proposed estate is a one-bed maisonette - a two-floor flat with its own external front door. There would be 38 such dwellings in total, the design of which - in blocks of either four or six - would “replicate a semi- detached or row of terrace” homes, according to a report to be presented to the committee.

Elsewhere, 35 two-bed, 23 three-bed and four 4-bed properties would be built in a mixture of semi-detached and terrace styles.

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However, the committee will be told that Lancashire County Council’s education department objects to the plans because of concerns about funding for the additional primary school places that would be needed as a result of the development.

The authority says eight places would be required for primary-age pupils, the cost of which would usually be covered by a charge on the developer known as the ‘community infrastructure levy’ (CIL). In the North West Preston area, CIL is funnelled through the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal to fund the infrastructure needed for the ongoing expansion of that part of the city.

However, the committee report states that the “City Deal [has] not confirmed that [the] contribution will be paid”.

The county council did not request funding for any extra secondary school places, which, in any case, could be secured by a separate agreement with the developer not involving a CIL payment.

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If it gets the green light, access to the new estate will be taken via three new junctions to be created off Sidgreaves Lane.

Committee members will be told the scheme is of “a contemporary design which would fit comfortably within existing development within the area”.

“[It] incorporates a good level of open space with a play area for local children. The landscaping proposals include a number of trees, hedging and shrub planting, which would provide a pleasant appearance,” the planning officer reporter adds.