Council-owned land in Blackpool earmarked for new family homes

The council is applying for outline permission to develop a site off Ryscar Way in Bispham.

Of this, £400,000 has been allocated for infrastructure at the Ryscar Way site.

If planning permission is approved, the land will then be marketed and sold to a developer.

A design statement accompanying the application says: "With a mix of detached, semi-detached houses and apartments located on the proposed site, this holds the potential to attract a variety of future residents with a range of budgets and family sizes.

"This will create a strong community that will be accessible to all."

The land, part of which is within Wyre Council's boundary, is currently partially overgrown and includes a public footpath and two fields partly separated by a low hedge.

Any trees and foliage which is removed will be replaced through replanting.

Previous blueprints for the site have included the building of up to 175 houses but those planning approvals have expired.

The £3.1m from the government's Land Release Fund also includes the former Bispham High School on Bispham Road which closed in 2014 when it was replaced by the Aspire Academy where potentially 148 houses could be built.

Another 330 could be built on land on Blackpool Road, Poulton, which is owned by Blackpool Council but in Wyre borough.

The fund also comprises £1m for Bispham Road and £1.7m for Blackpool Road.

Cash can be used to install road junctions or utilities which are needed before a site can be redeveloped.

The money is part of a £45m injection of cash nationwide by the Government aimed at kick-starting the construction of new homes.