Plans prepared by Cassidy + Ashton approved to resurrect stalled housing development in Blackpool
Plans submitted to Blackpool Council by Cassidy + Ashton have been given the go ahead for the completion of a flagship housing project in Blackpool three years after the original developer folded.
The land for Foxhall Village, located between Blundell Street and Princess Street in Blackpool, was put together by the council with the help of a £2.7m government grant, with several disused guesthouses demolished to make way for regeneration of the area.
The application from Great Places Housing Association includes plans to build 64 affordable homes and a block of three apartments on the west side of the Foxhall Village site, previously referred to as ‘Phase Three’.
This will mark the completion of a development that has remained dormant since 2019 when the previous developer went into administration, after completing 193 houses within the wider development.
The Foxhall Village site was placed into the ownership of Blackpool Council by administrators in August 2021. The closure of the previous contractor, who had begun construction in 2014, left a range of complex issues to deal with, including inspection of partially built homes.
Cassidy + Ashton worked alongside Great Places Housing Association to rejuvenate the existing scheme, which previously included a retail area, to prepare a proposal that will deliver affordable homes and make an effective use of the land. The new project is key in concluding the flagship housing project at Foxhall Village.
Our role involved reviewing and renewing the existing design proposals and resolving the status of existing planning permissions. This included the submission of application for an additional 16 affordable homes upon an undeveloped parcel of land adjacent to the site, subject to the earlier phases of development.
Cassidy + Ashton’s planning team helped conclude open planning applications and acquire the necessary new permissions with a refreshed proposal to include a landscaped corridor with a mix of two, three and four bed homes and a corner feature apartment building containing three apartments.
Town planner Jordan Balazs, from Cassidy + Ashton’s Preston office, has worked on the proposals for the completion of Foxhall Village. She addressed the planning committee on our behalf and said: “Foxhall Village has been a welcome addition to the affordable housing provision in Blackpool.
“While some work began on site, the developer faced significant economic challenges and was unable to finish the development. The site has therefore remained vacant for several years and has been described by local people as a ‘notable eyesore’.
“The new plans aim to create a better layout to maximise the capacity of affordable housing along with sympathetic landscaping. This will help to ensure that Foxhall Village is finally completed and becomes an attractive housing area for both its residents and the surrounding community in Blackpool.”
Director at Cassidy + Ashton, Lawrence McBurney, said: “The delay in completing the Foxhall Village housing project has denied Blackpool of much needed good quality affordable housing.
“Our team has worked tirelessly alongside Great Places Housing Association to get this complex project to this stage and we are delighted the plans have been approved and at last work can restart on site.”
