Lancaster

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Original Poster:

2,059 posts

226 months

Monday 9th January 2012
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What's the deal with that big old garage at Scotforth?

Lancaster City Garage i think it's called.

Remember they used to have some nice cars in there - but seem to recall it was shut last time i went past a few years ago. In a lot worse state now.

Did they just struggle to sell cars and thus pay the bills??

Could be a really nice garage.

snuffy

10,291 posts

289 months

Monday 9th January 2012
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I used to work in Lancaster just over 10 years ago and it appeared then. As far as I recall it never actually had any cars in it.

7mike

3,075 posts

198 months

Monday 9th January 2012
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I was wondering about this when a drove past this morning. Some windows are starting to get smashed in now. Prompted a look on Google:

http://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/business/l...

Seems the local council are putting the spanner in the works for any planning permission that's sought.

*Kosta*

911 posts

208 months

Monday 9th January 2012
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One of the local businessmen/posh travellers own it.

It used to be a water treatment filter house and then became Lancaster City Garages many moons ago. They only had a few nice cars in there for a few weeks then they shut up shop. I believe at the time, Lancaster City Council cited access issues as a rejection of any planning permission.

As above, it's the council Planners being retards. Waste of an awesome building IMO.

wijit

1,510 posts

180 months

Monday 9th January 2012
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Quite a few years ago there was a nursery (Plant type, not child type) next to what used to be Sunnyfield Special School on Morecambe Road near the college. Those with local knowledge and a bit of age will remember it. The bloke that owned it applied for planning to expand back onto land he owned but hadn't done anything with commercially. Planning was refused several times due to "possible development of the school". A local councillor then put an offer for the nursery which was the price of the land, not the buisness and as he couldn't develop to compete with other nurseries in the area he sold it to the councillor for less than the market price as a buisness.
Very soon after, a very large proportion of the land had a CPO (compulsory purchase order) put on it and the councillor ended up making massive profit. I'm sure it was just a coincidence that the councillors wife was on the planning committee.

Just thought I'd say. Not that it has any bearing on the old water works.

*Kosta*

911 posts

208 months

Tuesday 10th January 2012
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wijit said:
Quite a few years ago there was a nursery (Plant type, not child type) next to what used to be Sunnyfield Special School on Morecambe Road near the college. Those with local knowledge and a bit of age will remember it. The bloke that owned it applied for planning to expand back onto land he owned but hadn't done anything with commercially. Planning was refused several times due to "possible development of the school". A local councillor then put an offer for the nursery which was the price of the land, not the buisness and as he couldn't develop to compete with other nurseries in the area he sold it to the councillor for less than the market price as a buisness.
Very soon after, a very large proportion of the land had a CPO (compulsory purchase order) put on it and the councillor ended up making massive profit. I'm sure it was just a coincidence that the councillors wife was on the planning committee.

Just thought I'd say. Not that it has any bearing on the old water works.
I remember it, just! I think I was 5 or 6 at the time.

You obviously remember it better than me. I always used to tink that it was the McDoanlds that was build it it's place but as you say there was a compulsory purchase, was it the bypass that wiped it out?

wijit

1,510 posts

180 months

Sunday 15th January 2012
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*Kosta* said:
I remember it, just! I think I was 5 or 6 at the time.

You obviously remember it better than me. I always used to tink that it was the McDoanlds that was build it it's place but as you say there was a compulsory purchase, was it the bypass that wiped it out?
I think at the time it was something different which never came off in the end. I do know the councillor later got compensation (for loss of buisiness!) for the original plan not happening. The same chap bought some land in Heysham which had planning refused once for development only to have the application approved after he had bought it as brown, which in theory couldn't be for housing. That was close to Kingsway.
I suspect I'm a fair bit older than you. This is twice today my age has brought me down a step......