Leverhulme appeals refusal of final Green Belt homes app
Wirral Council will once again have to go to the Planning Inspectorate to defend its rejection of Leverhulme Estates’ housing plans – this time for an outline application for up to 240 homes in Greasby.
Leverhulme announced today that it would be appealing Wirral Council’s February refusal of the scheme, part of the 1,038-home Leverhulme Vision.
This ‘vision’ is a Wirral masterplan focused on nearly 110 acres of Green Belt. It is comprised of nine applications, eight focused on homes and one on creating a sustainable alternative natural greenspace.
Of the nine applications, eight were rejected by Wirral Council in 2022. These applications are already undergoing the appeals process and their public inquiry concluded earlier this month. A result is expected in September.
The Greasby project was the last to be refused by the council, having been rejected months after the other eight. It is focused on building 240 homes on 25 acres of Green Belt east of Rigby Drive. Of the 240 homes, 72 would be affordable.
Leverhulme’s plans also include a community park, opening up previously private land to the public.
Wirral Council rejected the application due to the impact it would have on Green Belt, for having an insufficient provision for sustainable and active travel, and for having an inadequate drainage system.
Leverhulme has stated that its proposals would bring forward much-needed housing to the metropolitan borough. However, Wirral Council says it can demonstrate a five-year housing land supply and therefore there is no need to build on Green Belt.
“As was the case with Leverhulme’s earlier appeals, a public inquiry provides the right forum to consider our planning application for Greasby in the context of Wirral’s urgent requirement for new housing, in particular family homes and affordable homes,” said Nigel McGurk, head of land and planning for Leverhulme.
McGurk continued: “Leverhulme supports deliverable regeneration but the success of Wirral Council’s regeneration strategy remains contingent on the availability of enormous public subsidies and cheap development funding, regardless of economic realities.
“By contrast, Leverhulme’s proposals are fully deliverable and would ensure multiple other benefits in ways that no other proposal in Wirral can, including the opening up of the countryside, the creation of new cycleways and footpaths and the significant enhancement of biodiversity and habitats.”
McGurk concluded: “Our developments would also provide for economic growth across Wirral, creating jobs and supporting services.”
Those interested in learning more about the Leverhulme scheme can search OUT/22/01821 on Wirral Council’s planning portal.
Can’t wait for this. Will the NIMBY capital of the NorthWest get its day of reckoning.
By Rich X
5-year housing land supply. Utter rubbish. Perhaps every potential apartment scheme lumped together in Birkenhead might appear to get somewhere close. I forgot that there are no families in Wirral and that everyone wants an apartment in the choicest part of Wirral, where they all work – especially the keyworkers. A solid shout out for Leverhulme at least willing to try and take on this unthinkable level of political selfishness from members.
By Alastair Sheehan
This is not a vision, nor driven by a masterplan supported by anyone other than the landowner. It’s simply an attempt by one major landowner to push through a large amount of Green Belt housing in advance of the result of a local plan inquiry that is already sitting. Life expectancy on east Wirral is 12 years less than west Wirral, and there is plenty of land available now in east Wirral. If planning means anything, then this proposal needs to be refused and investment directed to east Wirral where it will do good.
By Pete
These designs look very attractive and well thought through, we have loads of green belt on the Wirral so we can spare a bit.
By Anonymous
We must keep our green belt land on the Wirral , there is plenty of brown field sites that could be regenerated
By Jeff Kitchen
I believe Port Sunlight was built on green fields. Doubtless the council would have opposed that if they’d been around…
By rayzee