In taking a more pro-active role in defining the future of the Canal Quarter, the council is working to the following principles:

• To provide significant and wide-ranging economic benefits without exposing the city council to unacceptable levels of financial risk
• Have less reliance on additional retail floor space, thereby instilling confidence in the future of the existing city centre shopping area
• Find new uses for historic buildings and capitalise on the site’s proximity to the Lancaster Canal
• Include more residential accommodation and cater for a variety of different occupiers
• Facilitate an increase in Lancaster University’s presence in the city centre
• Provide more business space especially for Lancaster’s thriving digital sector
• Delivery of an arts and cultural offer that achieves the goal of making Lancaster the North West’s primary cultural centre outside of the main conurbations
• Take advantage of the latest in green technology to make the site as self-sustainable as possible
• Rationalise car parking and encourage sustainable travel to and through the area especially to the existing city centre.

The city council has recently declared a Climate Emergency and the overall parameters and contribution of any proposed development scheme to contribute towards mitigating the effects of climate change are important.  Any development scheme proposed by or engaged in by the city council should provide a framework to demonstrate practical and achievable of sustainable energy efficiency and renewable energy targets.