In all my years (and that's a lot!) I cannot remember the lanes being used very much at all for their original purpose. With radar they are hardly necessary.
However, if we ever had to operate without radar then they would provide deemed seperation between IFR traffic departing and landing on 08/26 and inbound SVFR traffic. (ATC has to provide standard seperation between IFR and SVFR.)
In the south lane, traffic holding at Hyde VRP at 1500ft QNH is deemed separated from traffic landing and taking off. Therefore we could hold one there until another form of separation is applied, or arriving traffic has landed, then clear the SVFR on towards the field.
They are sometimes used at night (when there is no VFR), APP could put traffic to Hyde for the Tower controller to acquire it visually. He/she could then apply 'reduced separation in the vicinity of an aerodrome' providing he/she has that and the rwy 08/26 traffic in sight, and bring it on towards the airfield.
And additionally, as I said earlier, we do have a local procedure for VFR traffic.
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vintage ATCO
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