Positive steer on the Canal Corridor North
FAR from being disappointed about the Secretary of State's recent decision on the Centros proposals, Lancaster City Council is more than pleased with the outcome.
It made a clear statement at the time of the public inquiry that it knew the developer's decision not to appear might jeopardise the outcome of the inquiry, but was taking the leading role to promote the implementation of its new Development Plan for the district, and to try to obtain a clear steer from the Secretary of State about the appropriateness of the scheme in principle.
Without such a steer the council may have needed to revise significant parts of the development plan.
Coun Eileen Blamire, chair of the Planning Policy Cabinet Liaison Group, said: “The inspector's report, and the Secretary of State's decision, has given ample support for the principle of the scheme.
“It accepts that this is the only site capable of facilitating this form of retail and mixed use growth, and that, contrary to the view put forward by some objectors, it is sustainable and easily accessible for people inside and outside the city.”
The proposed solutions to accommodate additional traffic were accepted as were the conclusions of the impact on air quality.
Looking at the prospective details of the scheme there was agreement that the overall approach to layout and levels made sense, that a contemporary design with a good public frontage to Stonewell could work and the linkages to the existing centre are of critical importance.
The inspector concluded that the controversial link bridge was essential, but the Secretary of State wants to see detailed designs and more evidence to convince him that it is the right solution. It was accepted that the retention of the Stonewell frontage would not be in the best interests of linking the existing centre to the site.
Additional work needs to be done to address the Secretary of State's concerns about the amount of retail floor space and this might mean some reduction in scale.
In addition the inspector and the Secretary of State have given clear guidance about the repair and viability test which must be proven before they can agreed to the loss of the unlisted buildings which would need to be removed to facilitate the scheme.
Acknowledging that evidence needed to be provided that the various buildings could not viably be retained, it was clear that the impact of retention of the ability to provide a viable new development would still be a major consideration.
Coun Keith Budden, chair of the Planning and Highways Regulatory Committee, added: “Having obtained the positive steer that the council needed, it has now agreed to take part in a new Government pilot scheme of mediation with the other principle parties to attempt to set an agreed benchmark on how to proceed.“
Date Updated: 15/01/10