Lancaster civic group pushes for social housing in Canal Quarter scheme

While the group has said there is ‘much to commend’ in the Canal Quarter planning documents, which were approved by the city council last year, they believe the council can go further with its commitment to social housing.

Lancaster Civic Vision say they have been encouraged by the scale of ambition articulated, and reassured by the commitment to protect and build upon the existing heritage, townscape, and landscape assets of the area.

“We were also impressed by the depth of analysis underpinning the proposals, and were pleased to see a commitment to the highest standards of design and energy efficiency,” a spokesman said.

However, whilst the document referred to the need for social housing in the Canal Quarter, the group believes that the city council must now go much further.

“In 2019 the city council made a commitment to the socially just use of their land and property,” they said. “This was repeated as recently as December 2021 with the agreement of the council’s priorities which included a pledge to use their land and property to benefit local communities.

“The city council must seize the opportunity presented by its considerable land holdings in the Canal Quarter, to facilitate the provision of social and community led housing to further deliver on these policy commitments.

“Lancaster Civic Vision believe that the city council should agree to the disposal, on preferable terms, of specific council owned sites within the Canal Quarter to facilitate these types of housing development.

"We consider it imperative that the city council do so to enable such site allocations to be incorporated in the emerging masterplan for the Canal Quarter.”

Urban design specialists PRP Architects were commissioned in December to design a masterplan to breathe new life into the Canal Quarter in Lancaster.

Over the coming months they will develop options for the regeneration of the site to complement the existing town centre.

Although Lancaster City Council only owns part of the land, PRP will work with other major landowner interests to create a vision which covers the whole of the 6.5 hectare site.

Coun Gina Dowding, cabinet member with responsibility for planning and place making, said: “While it’s great to see that Lancaster Civic Vision recognise the strong vision presented in the Canal Quarter SPD, they have unfortunately misunderstood the purpose of the document.

“The city council only owns part of the Canal Quarter and will neither be funding or delivering all development.

“The SPD applies to the whole site, including those assets owned by third parties. The document sets out the principles and broad range of acceptable uses, but it is not a development brief which allocates land for specific purposes.

“However the city council has strong ambitions to increase the supply of affordable housing within the district which are outlined in the council’s Homes Strategy. I hope we may see this as part of the Canal Quarter, but it is not appropriate to include these ambitions within the SPD itself.

“I share the enthusiasm from Lancaster Civic Vision to make the city the best it can be and look forward to working with them in the future.”