Approval for hundreds of affordable homes at Halsnead Garden Village

Knowsley Council signed off Nuvu Development’s outline planning application for up to 277 affordable homes and a 100-bed extra care home on the former Cronton Colliery site.

Nuvu Development, part of Your Housing Group, had taken on the project after previous developer Clean Sweep Holdings had entered administration in 2020.

The homes will be sit within two parcels inside the future Halsnead Garden Village boundaries, which, when complete, will create 1,600 new homes, 55 acres of employment land and 81 acres of green space.

The first of Nuvu Development’s plots is 23 acres and sits south of Lickers Lane. This site makes up the northern boundary of the future Halsnead Garden Village. The second plot is five acres and is east of Windy Arbor Road. Both pieces of land were released from Green Belt in 2016.

Included in the application, which was submitted by Barton Willmore, there will also be five acres of green infrastructure and 2.6 acres of open space for the public to enjoy.

The approved plans also include the construction of two access points on Windy Arbor Road and Lickers Lane for the housing developments.

The scheme had proved contentious with 113 objects received from the general public, and one objection from Whiston Town Council.

However, in the end, the council went with its planning officer’s recommendation to approve. As a result, the developer has said it will contribute £3m for section 106 agreements.

The project team includes Tree Solutions, L-P Heritage, and CES Ecology. Eddisons is the transport consultant and Ensafe was the consultant for noise and air. Aecom is the land contamination consultant and Sutcliffe is the flood risk consultant.

The application’s reference number with Knowsley Council is 20/00399/OUT.