39-home Lancashire development faces redesign months after approval

South Lakes Housing and its agents have applied to Lancaster City Council to vary conditions attached to permission granted in October 2025 for 39 homes on the former Nelson Street car park site.

The development includes four houses, two four-storey apartment blocks, and one two-storey apartment block, along with parking, landscaping, public realm works, and alterations to the canal wall.

Amendments to the layout and design of the development have resulted in changes to the allocation of the residential properties designated to meet M4(2) standards (Image: Lancaster City Council)

The latest application has been made under Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act and seeks changes to conditions 2, 5, 6, 16, and 19.

Planning documents state the amendments are required because of "construction and design amendments" identified during the pre-construction stage.

Documents submitted with the application show dozens of alterations across the development's four residential blocks.

These include revised apartment layouts, changes to window and door positions, adjustments to roof heights, amendments to cycle and bin storage areas, revised access routes, alterations to drainage infrastructure, and updated landscaping proposals.

One notable change concerns accessibility.

The approved scheme required 20 per cent of homes to meet Building Regulations M4(2) accessibility standards.

While that proportion would remain unchanged, the allocation of the accessible homes would move from properties within Blocks A, B, and C to homes within Blocks B, C, and D.

The application also includes a new Landscape and Ecological Management Plan covering a 30-year period.

The plan sets out long-term management of trees, hedgerows, grassland, and planting across the site, together with biodiversity monitoring and reporting requirements.

Lancaster City Council's biodiversity officer has reviewed the proposals and said the locations proposed for swift boxes are acceptable but suggested the development should provide more bird nesting features than currently shown.

The officer noted the site's proximity to the Lancaster Canal, which is a recognised feeding area for swifts because of the abundance of insects.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has raised no objection but advised that the development must meet Building Regulations requirements relating to fire service access and firefighting water provision.

The original scheme was approved by Lancaster City Council on October 29, 2025.

It will deliver 39 affordable homes as part of the wider Canal Quarter regeneration programme, which aims to transform former industrial land and surface car parks around the Lancaster Canal into new residential and mixed-use neighbourhoods.

A decision on the latest application will be taken by Lancaster City Council at a later date.