LANCASTER CIVIC SOCIETY NEWSLETTER No. 109 April/May 2012 Lancaster Market Hall But wait! The Council’s Chief Executive reports on 11 April that the landlord of the building, Allied (Lancaster) Ltd, had come up with four new Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It seems clear now proposals. How can four new proposals appear at that the City Council were probably misguided when such a late stage? Why were they not put forward in 1995 they took a 99-year lease on the Market earlier? Could the Council officers not have Hall, then sublet stalls to the traders; but few of foreseen these possibilities? Can we put any trust us could have foreseen the competition that many in a company that suddenly produces four new ideas of the businesses in the Market would soon face like rabbits from a hat at the last moment? The from the supermarkets, which makes the stalls full Council meeting at which these four proposals much less profitable than they used to be. The were discussed failed to reach a decision so the Council’s decision to take on the lease seemed right outcome remains uncertain and the few remaining at the time. traders remain in limbo. However we can be sure of one thing: Lancaster’s indoor market, a feature for Their more recent actions look less excusable. Last over a century of the city centre and a place where year the Council considered the option of moving those without access to capital could start a small the indoor market to the City Museum, a suggestion retail business in Lancaster, is no more. that many of us thought impractical and Martin Widden inappropriate. In July 2011 they decided not to do this, but instead to move all the traders to the lower ground floor of the Market Hall. After havering for a couple of months, all the traders agreed to move to the lower ground floor - except April/May Newsletter and the AGM one, a ‘national company not belonging to the Market Traders Association’, which tried to get a special Once again the April and May newsletters have rent reduction (who were they, we wonder?). This been combined into one issue. This issue therefore put a spanner in the works. includes the AGM notification and nomination call as well as the summer-outing booking form. In November 2011, on a cross-party resolution, the Council voted to close the indoor market and It has been standard practice to include with the negotiate a buy-out from its lease of the Market AGM notification, the statement of accounts for Hall building. The Lancaster Guardian reported the financial year ending 31st March. However the that this could cost the local taxpayer up to £20 accounts have yet to be finalised and inspected and million, to compensate the traders and (especially) approved by the Committee. They will be available the landlord. A number of market traders had at the AGM (along with the minutes of the last already moved out, but following the Council’s AGM and the Special General Meeting held in decision several more left, leaving the Market a December), but if anyone wishes to see the mere shadow of its former self. In November, accounts in advance of 13th June, please contact Council officers were still reiterating that they Winnie Clark (tel. 01524 33411 or email ‘desired a thriving indoor market’, but without a [email protected]). A copy will be sent to miracle, there was no prospect of reviving it. you as soon as they become available. 1 Centros and the Canal Corridor North site Scotforth Supermarket Appeal Centros recently issued a revised masterplan for The appeal by Commercial Estates Projects (CEP) the Canal Corridor North site. This is a more against the refusal of planning permission by the sensitive scheme which appears to address the City Council’s Planning Committee for a large (7250 concerns of English Heritage, notably through the sq metre) supermarket on fields to the south of retention of more of the historic buildings on the Lawson’s Bridge, reconvened between 21-30 March. site (including the Brewery, parts of the Joseph The appeal had been adjourned since December to Storey/Heron Works and parts of Swan Court - a allow CEP to revise its application to take into rare surviving example of early court housing). The account some of the concerns expressed. The controversial bridge link over Stonewell has also revised proposal removed the hotel and been removed. There is provision for a canal-side pub/restaurant and, for the time being the filling park, public spaces, a foodstore, a department station, and provided a road which could link with a store, a variety store and about 30 other shops. bridge over the West Coast railway line to allow The Heron Works would form a restaurant quarter access to the Whinney Carr site, should that be near the canal. It is proposed that the Musicians’ developed at a future date. The supermarket’s Co-operative be housed in the restored Brewery outline design was also slightly revised with more and there would be some new housing at the north landscaping along Scotforth Road and a more active end of the site, near Alfred Street. Parking for frontage on the south, east and north elevations. about 800 cars would be provided, some in an Our concerns remained however and we again wrote undercroft below the retail area. A broad to the Inspector, re-iterating our earlier objections pedestrian crossing would lead from Lower Church to the proposed development on six grounds: Street (scheduled to be upgraded) through Stonewell into the new development. 1. The proposed development would add to the traffic on an already congested route on a narrow Successfully linking the new development and the section of the A6. existing city centre will be essential to ensure the 2. The use of a greenfield site on the outskirts of retail success of both areas. The southbound leg of Lancaster when brownfield sites exist near to the the A6 road, which separates the two areas, is a city centre (and potentially in the city centre) does formidable obstacle and good linkages will be not seem compatible with sustainable development. crucial. In an interview with Radio Lancashire, 3. The introduction of this large out-of-town Steve Bryson of Centros promised public development was likely to damage, or at least consultations during 2012 prior to the submission of seriously dilute, the retail potential of the city a planning application towards the end of the year. centre. 4. The removal of the hotel, restaurant and (for When more details become available, we propose to the moment) the filling station, makes the revised hold a general meeting at which members can application less dense, but the scale of the discuss the proposals before the Society submits a proposed supermarket remains out of character at formal statement. this key gateway to the city. Meanwhile members may be interested in a general 5. The application remains in outline only, so it is public meeting to discuss the masterplan organised impossible to fully assess the impact of this large by the campaign group “It’s Our City”. This will be development on a sensitive and key site. th held on 15 May at Lancaster Town Hall starting at 6. Such a large development with its associated 7.30pm. traffic implications could constrain other proposed The Centros revised masterplan is available on the developments in the area, especially the Science Society’s website www.lancastercivicsociety.org. Park. There is also a link to a statement by the City Council and to the Heritage Assets Report prepared There was a final meeting on 16 April and the by The Conservation Studio for the Council and Inspector will now write his report and make a English Heritage entitled “Assessment of Heritage recommendation to the Secretary of State for Values and Significance” which is also available on Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles). the Council’s website: (www.lancaster.gov.uk/ccnreport). 2 Report on March Meeting National Planning Policy Framework After 50 years building supermarkets, what have The government’s revision of the planning system we learned? With several new supermarket came into force on Tuesday 27th March 2012. It proposals in Lancaster, the question is pertinent. marks the biggest reform of the planning system in Tom Miller, formerly Head of Planning in Ellesmere England for fifty years. It is intended to reduce Port and Neston, shared with us his experiences of and simplify the very complex planning guidance good and bad supermarket developments in a talk which had developed over the years, replacing it entitled “What seems to work best in planning with a more accessible system, which it is hoped will supermarkets: 38 years of error and trial”. also stimulate development and encourage economic At worst, the local authority has to accept the growth. The draft framework, put out for standard design of huge supermarket from consultation last year, attracted widespread whichever of the Big Four chains has bid the most concern that it contained insufficient protection for its preferred out-of-town site. The result is for the countryside. It was seen by many as a the maximum disruption to town-centre trade – “developers’ charter” and the National Trust, CPRE shops close and shopping has to be car-based. and other bodies, including our own national At best, the local authority sells its preferred organisation, Civic Voice, lobbied for revisions. town-centre site to the Big Four chain that has Their concerns seem to have been heeded by the most closely met the authority’s development and government.