Residents to be moved out of prominent Lancaster tower block after council deems it structurally unsafe

Bridge House is part of the Mainway estate currently in line for regeneration by Lancaster City Council – but the 20 occupied flats will now be vacated and the residents rehomed.

The 11-storey block was built in the 1960s and upgraded in the 1980s, but the cladding used – which is not the same type as that used on Grenfell Tower in London – has now come to the end of its expected lifespan.

The building has been open to the elements due to its position on the River Lune, and has been deemed to be in a more delapidated condition than other properties on the estate.

A report carried out in behalf of the council in 2018 highlighted a structural failure within the building, and the need for intervention.

Concerns included cracking in the facade and concrete corrosion.

Regular monitoring inspections have been carried out since, and in some places safety netting has been put in place.

Residents are not currently at any risk, officers have said, but plans will now proceed to move them out of the building and into new homes.

There are 20 properties in the block currently occupied, out of 44 in total – no families live in Bridge House due to an age restriction, with most of the residents older single people or couples.

Some have already expressed an interest in moving to council-owned independent living accommodation in the district, while others wish to remain on Mainway and then move into the new housing scheme when built.

All residents will be supported with their move into new properties, and will keep their social housing tenancies.

Coun Caroline Jackson said ahead of a cabinet meeting on Tuesday: “It’s a Catch-22 situation of looking after residents while having a structural failure. It’s got to the point where we do have to help residents to move elsewhere.

"But the Skerton High site gives us a real vision for change. We want to create housing that people really want to live in.”

Councillors at Tuesday’s meeting approved plans for Bridge House to be decommissioned and removed from use as a housing block, with residents moved into other council accommodation.

The site will be looked at for possible demolition as part of the wider regeneration plans for Mainway.

Meanwhile, a planning application for the housing scheme on the former Skerton High School site is expected to be submitted later this month.

The school is currently being demolished ready for work to begin later this year.

Some of the traditional York stone from the site has already been repurposed in Sun Square in Lancaster city centre, while some will also form part of the new housing development.

The plans are expected to included 135 council homes, of which 47 per cent would be one bedroom, 34 per cent would be two-bed, 16 per cent three-bed and three per cent four-bed.

All will have gardens or balconies, and the site will also include 135 parking spaces, playing fields and a community space with possible cafe.

The work is expected to take two years to complete, and the Chadwick School is to remain on the land.

Residents wishing for further information or support can visit the My Mainway hub on the estate.