With half of Preston’s new homes built, residents urge for essential shops and schools
Preston: Half of the new homes planned for the city are now finished. This big project aims to add around 5,300 homes in the area, and it started back in 2014.
Last year, they hit a milestone with 2,638 homes built, which is almost half of the total. By March 2024, more homes are expected to be approved in the North West Preston area.
This area includes parts of Cottam and Lightfoot Green, stretching from the new Edith Rigby Way to the M6. They only need to approve about 1,500 more homes in the next decade to keep things on track.
Despite some challenges, Preston City Council feels positive about the progress. They mentioned that building this many homes is no small feat, especially since most of the land is privately owned.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, 319 homes were completed, with 92 of those being affordable. The city aims for 30% of new homes to be affordable unless builders can prove it’s not financially viable.
To manage the growth, a masterplan was created in 2014 to ensure the new homes come with the necessary services. However, some local councillors are worried about the lack of schools in the area.
Even though land was set aside for two new primary schools and a secondary school, none have been built yet. The county council is focusing on expanding schools outside the planned area instead.
Recently, there’s been some hope that the secondary school might be built sooner than expected, but details are still unclear. Some local leaders want to pause housing development until the schools are ready.
They believe that while new homes are great, they need shops, health facilities, and community spaces to create a real neighborhood. Cllr John Potter emphasized that schools should be built where they were promised, not far away.
Funding for schools usually comes from developers, but in this case, some contributions have been reduced. The community infrastructure levy is also in play, which helps fund necessary services for the new homes.
While some community benefits have been achieved, like improvements to the local health center, not everything has gone as planned. A neighborhood center of shops was removed from a new estate due to cost issues.
The masterplan aimed to turn North West Preston into a ‘garden city’ with plenty of green spaces and parks. However, it might take years before some of these green areas are developed, leaving residents waiting for the promised parks.
Overall, while the housing expansion is moving forward, the community is eager for the additional services and infrastructure to catch up.
