£164m shops and homes regeneration plan approved

About £160m is being put into the scheme to transform Skelmersdale

A £164m scheme that will create hundreds of homes, businesses and a solar farm in West Lancashire has been approved.

Grimrod Place in Skelmersdale will see new shops and apartments built on land at West Lancashire Council's headquarters in Ormskirk.

The plan, brought forward by council-owned company Tawd Developments, was agreed by borough leaders last week.

Gareth Dowling, the council's deputy leader, said: "This plan is about making West Lancashire a better place to live, work and thrive."

In total, there will be 680 new homes built as part of the plan, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"At Grimrod Place, development of eight new business units for long-term commercial rental will support local enterprise and job creation," a council report said.

"Delivery of 25 new social rent homes is one of the first schemes to emerge from the Skelmersdale Town Centre Masterplan," the report added.