Hundreds Of Affordable Homes To Be Built In South Ribble

A project set to build hundreds of affordable homes in South Ribble has been given the ‘go-ahead’ after approved planning permission.

The Test Track site in Moss Side could see up to 950 new homes built in the coming months, of which 30% will be classed as affordable.

A planning permission application was heard by members of the public earlier this week, where No public objections were given to the application and support was given by local Midge Hall Community Group who commended the work undertaken over the last three years in partnership with the Council and the site developers.

According to the South Ribble Borough Council, the planning committee debated the application in detail taking into account views from the public, elected Members and developers before making their important decision.

Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor Caleb Tomlinson said, “This is a real landmark decision. This development is one of the largest to ever come though the Committee and has been on the cards for a very long time.

“The Planning Officers have worked tirelessly in negotiations with the developer and the local community to ensure that this development is right for the people in South Ribble and delivers what our community needs.

“We know that the borough is in need of affordable housing and we have negotiated the affordable housing element of this project from a 10% make up to a whopping 30%. This is a huge achievement for the borough and will benefit hundreds of people.

“There were also concerns raised by the committee about separation distances between dwellings. We found the distances previously put forward were insufficient to meet our standards. These issues have now been rectified.”

Councillor Bill Evans, Cabinet Member for Planning, Regeneration and City Deal added, “The Test Track is an important site and provides the opportunity to deliver a flag ship scheme supporting the delivery of strong place making for all sections of our community.

“We made it clear from the start that we will work with developers to get the best deal for our communities, and will take a hard line if developers are not willing to deliver what the people of South Ribble need.

“We’re delighted to have worked with the developers and the local community to address the issues and to increase the affordable housing provision which will see a mix of 50% affordable rent and 50% shared ownership.

“This site has been subject to much consideration and we are now at a stage to take this forward. We are confident that this will be a quality development which will deliver the communities needs while ensuring the green spaces, landscaping and environmental impacts are considered, developed and mitigated correctly and successfully.

“This is great news for the borough and I look forward to work getting started.”