FOR SALE - Development Site, Former Mitchell’s of Lancaster, Lancaster

Savills and Fisher Wrathall Commercial, on behalf of Lanmara Developments, are delighted to bring to the market this significant development opportunity in a key redevelopment area of Lancaster city centre.

Savills and Fisher Wrathall Commercial are instructed to seek offers for the site for redevelopment. Whilst unconditional offers are preferred, all offers will be considered on their merits.

The key considerations are:

• Large city centre development site.

• Part of Lancaster’s Canal Quarter development area.

• Site extends to approximately 2.7 acres (1.09hectares).

Written expressions of interest are to be submitted to Savills or Fisher Wrathall Commercial using the details herein, whereafter access will be granted to a secure data website.

Accompanied viewings of the property will be made available to interested parties.

Location - Lancaster Is one of the main City's within Lancashire, with deep-rooted historical monuments and a thriving University.

Situated in the North West region, Lancaster is located approximately 20 miles north of Preston, 45 miles north of Liverpool and 45 miles north west of Manchester.

Lancaster is afforded good transport links via the M6 motorway - offering access north to the Lake District and Scotland, and south to Preston and onward to Manchester. Lancaster train station is also located on the West Coast mainline and offers regular services to London, Scotland, Manchester and Leeds.

Lancaster University is a key institution in the city. The University placed in the top 15 in three separate UK league tables, and placed 122nd in the world out of 1,500 universities in the QS World Rankings. The city also offers easy access to seaside towns such as Morecambe with its delightful bay, and north to Lake District National Park. Kendal is some 20 miles to the north, Windermere some 30 miles to the north.

Situation - The site is located to the east of the city centre, towards the Lancaster Canal. Recently, the site was incorporated into the Council’s Canal Quarter masterplan and ultimately forms the gateway between the city centre and the proposed development area.

There are several existing landmarks in close proximity of the site, namely the Grand Theatre and The Dukes that are located immediately north and south of the site, and Dalton Square that is next to Lancaster Town Hall. The most central part of the site offers a gateway to the city centre from the Canal Quarter, with boundaries to St Leonard’s Gate and Moor Lane, converging towards St Nic’s Shopping Centre. St Nic’s Shopping Centre connects directly to Penny Street, Market Street and Cheapside – the 3 main shopping streets in the city, with amenities including banks, supermarkets, restaurants and bars.

The site offers easy access to Caton Road, which connects directly to Junction 34 of the M6 motorway. Meanwhile Lancaster train station is approximately 0.5 miles to the west, close to Lancaster Castle and Lancaster Bus Station is just 0.1 miles to the north west.

Description - The property comprises two parcels of development land bisected by Brewery Lane, with the former Mitchell’s of Lancaster Brewery building forming a local landmark. The two sites extend to 1.39 acres (“West of Brewery Lane”) and 1.32 acres (“East of Brewery Lane”) respectively.

More specifically, West of Brewery Lane comprises a range of existing buildings including warehouses, workshops, former office spaces and cottages. These range in age and current condition, with several parts now largely overgrown alongside natural deterioration of the buildings.

East of Brewery Lane is the former brewery building itself and associated warehouses and workshops. The brewery building (known as the Malthouse) is Grade II Listed, however has had its internal floors removed historically. Assuming these were re-instated, the building could extend to some 17,600 sq ft, however the usual planning and listed building consents would need to be secured. Located immediately north of the Brewery Building is a warehouse that has been re-purposed to provide a leisure venue, known as Kanteena.

The site benefits from direct access to St Leonard’s Gate through 137 St Leonard’s Gate and an existing ginnel, notwithstanding the larger yard attached to one of the warehouse properties. Otherwise, the site is accessible by
main roads on all sides – namely Lodge Street to the north, Edward Street to the east, Moor Lane
to the south and St Leonard’s Gate to the west.

Tenure - The site is held freehold by Lanmara Developments under the following title numbers:

• LA727696
• LAN63716

The property is bisected by Brewery Lane which is an adopted road, however the main parts of the site remain under a single title register (LA727696).

The Canal Quarter - The site occupies the most centrally located part of the Canal Quarter Masterplan that was recently adopted by Lancaster City Council. The Canal Quarter covers approximately 6.5 hectares of land adjacent to the Lancaster Canal with the intention to deliver:

• Approximately 580 new homes.

• Approximately 7,000 sq m of workspace, retail and food and beverage provision to complement the city centre.

• Increased pedestrian access to the Canal and improved footpaths/cycleways.

• New public open space throughout.

In respect of the subject site, Lanmara Developments undertook extensive consultation with the Council through 2019/ 2020 with a view to bringing the site forward. The proposed layouts on the following pages were generally well received during that process, with many elements of the schemes being included in the Canal Quarter Masterplan itself.

Whilst planning consent will still need to be secured for any future development, the principle of the proposed developments has been accepted by virtue of the Canal Quarter Masterplan.

Further details of the Canal Quarter Masterplan can be in the Lancaster Masterplan Doc_FINAL_REV H.pdf document .

Vat - The property is elected for VAT and therefore will be payable at the prevailing rate.

Legal Costs - Each party to be responsible for their own legal costs associated with this transaction.

Holding Costs - The current costs for holding the property amount to approximately £30,000 per annum. A schedule of costs will be made available to interested parties.

Viewings - The site can be viewed from the roadside and via Brewery Lane, however accompanied viewings will be offered to interested parties.

Proposal - In the first instance, please confirm your interest in writing to Ed, Ned or John using the details below. Thereafter, access will be provided to a detailed data website that will outline the onward process.

Ed Rooney - /

Ned Brooks -


John Davenport - /