Leverhulme lodges plans for 56-acre Wirral park

A proposed Sustainable Alternative Natural Greenspace would “mitigate recreational pressures” from Leverhulme Estates’ plans to build more than 1,000 homes on Green Belt.

The SANG itself sits on Green Belt, but as a public open space is in keeping with permitted Green Belt use.

Under landscape designs by Barnes Walker, Leverhulme would construct 3.26km of footpaths on 56 acres west of Barnston Road. The plot is located between Barnston Village and Pensby.

These footpaths would add to the 400 metres of farm track and 150 metres of public footpaths already on the site.

In adding the new footpaths, a pedestrian link between Barnston and Pensby would be created.

Leverhulme would also create 23 car parking spaces and install bike racks for 10 bicycles.

Vehicles would be able to access the SANG from Barnston Road, while pedestrians could access it from Pensby Road.

In addition to formalising the rights of access for this land, providing more recreational space, and creating sustainable travel links, the SANG would also enhance the biodiversity of the area. This would be accomplished by planting additional hedgerows, preserving the site’s woodlands and enhancing the area’s field ponds.

According to a planning statement by Strutt & Parker, the proposal could result in a biodiversity net gain of nearly +90%.

The SANG would aid in the delivery of phase one of the Leverhulme Vision, which calls for the construction of 1,038 homes within five years. Already seven applications supporting this vision have been lodged with Wirral Council, with an eighth set to be submitted later this year.

That eighth application concerns land east of Rigby Drive in Greasby. Early-stage proposals from 2021 showed that Leverhulme had intended to build 250 homes on that site. A screening opinion for the site has been submitted to Wirral Council.

Want to learn more about the SANG? The project’s application reference number with Wirral Council is APP/22/01502.