£150m town centre regen on cards for West Lancashire

West Lancashire Borough Council is launching a consultation on a £150m masterplan in Skelmersdale.   The Skelmersdale Town Centre Regeneration Plan will be managed by Tawd Valley Developments and devised by Tetra Tech and Lambert Smith Hampton. It is being commissioned by West Lancashire Borough Council and Lancashire County Council.    The plan is part-funded through the Lancashire Economic Recovery and Growth fund. The county council also owns part of the site allocated in the masterplan for housing and a potential rail station on the former college site.    It includes the construction of around 400 homes. Melissa Parlour, lead member for economic regeneration and green growth, said: “This next phase of our regeneration plans represents a major opportunity for Skelmersdale. The £150m Skelmersdale masterplan is focused on sustainability and will make the town one of the greenest in the UK.   “It prioritises boosting economic activity by connecting education with employment opportunities, tackling local unemployment issues and boosting business opportunities. The project will transform the town centre, enhance health and wellbeing, particularly for young people, while improving safety, accessibility and public spaces through upgraded recreational areas.”  Mark Kitts, managing director at Tawd Valley Developments said: “The vast majority of funding for the proposed masterplan will be from the private sector. It is expected that some of the projects proposed such as the visitor centre, business incubator and train station will require funding from central government and that some of the affordable housing, roads and infrastructure will require funding support from the government’s home building and regeneration agency Homes England.”