Ryelands House, a grade 2 listed building has stood empty and boarded up since the NHS vacated it in 2023. Since then, it has suffered vandalism and has deteriorated due to lack of heat and ventilation. Now, in much welcome news, it is to reopen, and will slowly be brought back to life by North Lancashire Community Land Trust.
The North Lancashire Community Land Trust, aided by Lancaster Civic Vision, have been in negotiation with the City Council for the past 18 months with an aim to secure its future. An agreement to lease has now been agreed by the Council’s cabinet.
The Land Trust is committed to bring the building back in to community use.
The immediate plan is to bring the ground floor, which is in reasonable condition into occupation by the SEND DEN, a much-needed multi-sensory play and educational centre designed especially for children, young people, and adults with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The SEND DEN team are currently running a £5000 crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe, and you can follow their work on Facebook.
The upper floors of Ryelands House will then be restored as soon as the building is watertight. The aim being to bring the whole building back in to community use, including a cafe which would benefit all park users.
The chief purpose of the North Lancashire Community Land Trust is to make land and buildings available to the local community for affordable housing, work places, leisure, training, educational and community development purposes. They have been more successful in obtaining land, and are currently negotiating the purchase of some woodland on the edge of Lancaster. Once bought, it will protected in perpetuity for the benefit of local residents and wildlife.
• Check out the work of North Lancashire Community Land Trust here