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Land deal at former Lancaster high school set to be finalised

Skerton High School

Councillors are set to finalise plans to buy land at a former Lancaster high school so new houses can be built.

Lancaster City Council's cabinet will discuss the purchase of the old Skerton High School site at a meeting next Tuesday (January 17).

Once the deal goes through, new homes could be built on the site as part of the council's Mainway redevelopment scheme.

The city council has already agreed terms with Lancashire County Council, and cabinet members are expected to formally rubber-stamp plans to purchase the land, which is next to the Mainway housing estate in Skerton.

The council agreed in principle to buy the Owen Road site in 2021, subject to approval by the Secretary of State and to agreeing terms with the county council. The school closed in 2014 due to dwindling pupil numbers.

Cabinet members will also discuss plans for the remainder of Mainway (pictured below) to help breathe new life into the estate, which was built in the 1960s.

The council says the estate needs "significant investment to address maintenance issues and make it safe and secure for the future".

Regeneration of Mainway will include building new energy efficient homes and refurbishment of existing buildings.

The council said that 70 per cent of tenants were in favour of changes being made, following a public consultation period over the past few years.

"The masterplan will be driven by the council’s environmental ambitions after declaring a Climate Emergency in 2019 and ensure that Mainway is ‘future-fit,’ with low and zero carbon homes meeting the highest thermal standards, so residents can enjoy the lowest possible running costs," said a council spokesperson.

"Work will be phased over a number of years to reduce disruption to existing tenants."

The cabinet talks will be closed to the public as the agenda item is exempt under the Local Government Act, due to financial details contained within a report to be given to councillors.

Related Story: Next steps announced in Mainway masterplan - Beyond Radio

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