Leverhulme pushes on with plans for 850 Green Belt homes 

The estate has put forward seven sites totalling 110 acres across Wirral that it believes would be suitable for residential development to help meet the council’s housing targets. 

The Leverhulme Estate’s plan to release Green Belt land for development is a response to Wirral Council’s slow progress in formulating a local plan. 

“Wirral has a major requirement for a mix of new housing including three- and four-bedroom family homes and affordable housing,” said Nigel McGurk, head of land and planning for Leverhulme. 

“This shortfall has been made worse due to a lack of meaningful progress being made on preparing a deliverable and viable Local Plan in recent years.” 

Leverhulme, known for developing the 130-acre Port Sunlight, has now launched consultations on each of the proposed schemes, which together could provide 850 homes with around 30% earmarked as affordable. 

The sites are: 

• A two-acre site to the north of Gills Lane in Pensby to provide up to 15 homes. View the consultation. 
• An 18-acre site to the north of Gills Lane in Pensby and to the west of Barnston Road to provide up to 160 homes. View the consultation.  
• A 9.6-acre site a short distance from the local centre of Pensby Road, Pensby. It sits to the north of Gills Lane, between the existing residential streets of Dale View Close, Gwendoline Close and Thorncroft Drive and could provide up to 100 homes. View the consultation.  
• A 43-acre site to the north of Thingwall Drive, to the east of Glenwood Drive and to the west of Arrowe Park in Irby that could provide up to 310 homes. View the consultation. 
• An 8.8-acre site to the north of Raby Hall Road between the Autism Together complex and the residential neighbourhood on Blakeley Road at the edge of Bromborough. This site could provide up to 85 homes. View the consultation.
• An eight-acre site to the north of Raby Hall Road that could provide up to 40 homes. View the consultation.   
• A 20-acre site to the west of Barnston Road and north of Milner Road that could provide up to 120 homes. View the consultation.

An eighth site, 30 acres east of Rigby Drive in Greasby, was put forward as having the potential to house 250 homes when Place North West revealed Leverhulme’s plans to redevelop parts of its estate in December.

The consultations aim to demonstrate how Leverhulme plans to “create beautiful new places that are distinctively Wirral and that deliver the right mix of house sizes and affordable housing to meet local needs.” 

Nigel McGurk said Wirral is lacking in affordable housing. Credit: via Mason Media

“The development sites being brought forward by Leverhulme will make a significant contribution towards helping meet the market and affordable housing needs of the local area and the wider borough,” McGurk added. 

“Combined, the proposed Leverhulme sites can create beautiful and sustainable communities where people want to live. Port Sunlight and Thornton Hough are long-standing examples of sustainable communities and what can be achieved by combining the long-term stewardship offered by Leverhulme with a commitment to health and wellbeing and legacy development.” 

Last year, Leverhulme published its vision document calling for a wider debate on viable, sustainable and deliverable development in Wirral. 

The vision stated that the estate’s landholding of more than 5,000 acres gave it a unique opportunity to deliver homes for the borough.