Lancaster MP Cat Smith is seeking people’s feedback and has today set our her views on new housing plans in Lancaster, encouraging residents to have their say.

Persimmon are consulting on a proposal to build 1000 homes in the northeast of Lancaster, with a mix of housing types including affordable housing, bungalows and family houses, which the developer says will cater to first-time buyers, growing families and down-sizers alike.

The proposals include a new primary school, new country park, a community hub, relocated golf club, shops, public open space and play facilities, along with active travel routes via Lancaster Canal.

A public consultation website is available where residents can learn more about the proposals and share their feedback directly with the developer at east-lancaster.co.uk.

Speaking on the proposals, the Labour MP said:

“We know that the UK has a housing crisis given the failure to build affordable and social housing. High interest rates and inflation, economic recession, anaemic growth and wage stagnation are part of the problem that the Labour government have inherited from the Conservatives – with high rents and bills stretching household budgets to the limit and damaging our local economy. There’s no easy or quick fix.

 

The average age of a first-time homeowner is 34, and in Lancaster too many developers build purpose-built student accommodation for easy profit. We need to get back to building affordable family housing.

 

I hear loud and clear from constituents that new housing needs to come with infrastructure. With record waiting lists for treatment and a lack of GP appointments, the pressure on local NHS services is already too immense to take on thousands of new residents.

 

That’s why in addition to my longstanding campaign for a new purpose-built Lancaster Royal Infirmary, I’m asking Persimmon that their plans for a community hub include future use for community-based health provision.”

Cat Smith has been campaigning for several years to keep hospital services in Lancaster, fighting against previous Conservative Government proposals to close the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, whilst she has supported calls for a new-build hospital to replace the old Victorian hospital infrastructure.

Speaking on the potential benefits of a new development the MP said:

“I welcome the addition of a new school, country park and communal gardens, with active travel making the most of the city’s beautiful canal which so often seems hidden rather than celebrated.

But we need more commitments and certainty on the wider benefits for the city before the project gets underway, including on travel routes through the M6 and Quernmore Road access points given the ridiculous reliance on the city’s overburdened one-way system, which this could help to alleviate.

I’m keen to hear from people directly with their views, so please do let me know how you feel about the proposals using the form below.”