Miller completes land deal for 328 homes in Widnes
With the acquisition of the 42-acre greenfield plot off Lunts Heath Road, the housebuilder can move forward with its plans to construct the residences in time for early summer 2024 move-ins.
Known as Lunts Heath Rise, the Miller Homes scheme comprises 262 market houses and 66 affordable homes. The houses will have between one and five bedrooms.
The affordable homes will be a mix of maisonettes, apartments, and mews and available for affordable rent or shared ownership. Meanwhile, the market houses will be either mews homes or detached ones, according to designs by Sten Architecture.
In addition to the homes, the project includes open space and play areas. Cars will have access to the scheme at two points off Lunts Heath Road in Widnes.
Having secured planning permission from Halton Council in July last year, Miller Homes said it was on track to start construction and put the first homes on sale in the springtime. The housebuilder aims to have the first residents move in during the early summer.
“Lunts Heath Rise will complement the friendly and welcoming atmosphere that already exists in Widnes and bring yet more opportunities to the area,” said David Brackley, regional operations director at Miller Homes.
“We look forward to creating a new, well-designed sustainable neighbourhood, whilst supporting the local community that already exists here,” he continued.
Miller Homes’ Section 106 agreement with Halton Council includes a £1.2m contribution to the Widnes community. This will go towards improving recreational areas, highway improvements, and year-long bus passes for new residents.
The project team for the planning application for Lunts Heath Rise included NJL Consulting, TPM Landscape, E3P, LanPro, ERAP, TBA, Weetwood, RSK, Eddisons, Wardell Armstrong, and Energy and Design. The planning application reference number is 22/00318/FUL.
Elsewhere in the North West, Miller Homes has secured planning permission for 307 homes in St Helens.
Families are smaller these days, why do we need 5 bedrooms, is it for people working from home?
By Anonymous
Where are extra GPs dentists and school places coming from
By Anonymous
Infrastructure?????
By Anonymous
Where’s all the money going from the sale of these greenfield sites? It doesn’t look as if it goes on any infrastructure in Widnes!
By Anonymous
Of course no mention of funding for new schools or doctors to accommodate the influx of new residents to an already overcrowded system!!
By Susan
I think Housebuilders need to do a better job of publicising the contributions they provide (via S06 etc.) to Local Authorities in order that THEY improve local infrastructure. Developers contribute millions of Pounds to Councils but constantly get the blame when they don’t utilise those contributions properly.
By Same Old Housebuilder Bashing
New residents are getting a free bus pass for a year when residents over 60 who have lived here over 20 years are more cannot get a bus pass until they reach the state pension age, another kick in the teeth from Halton Council.
By Anonymous
Copy & paste trash with tiny gardens and nothing nearby. I’ll stick with my city centre apartment – much better quality of life than living on some concreted field in a teeny tiny house with a teeny tiny garden
By Anonymous
I think housebuilders can do that when they also publicise all the planning requirements they’ve managed to avoid paying via various means. They should do so alongside their profit and loss details. Deal?
By Unlevelled for balance
Overcrowded already. Doctors, shops, school places. Have any of these been taken in to consideration?
By DAVE
Good income for Halton council…..not a penny getting spent on schools and the like for all the new occupants. Just stretching our already stretched infrastructure..All these affordable homes are only affordable once, then it’s back to square one……..and not forgetting the other 3 developments which have been granted on Derby Road. Well, there’s going to be a Starbucks and Wendy’s burgers restaurant getting up there
By Colin clarke
Yet more Greenbelt, good food growing land gone under concrete. You should be building on brownfield sites of which Widnes has an abundance.
By Anonymous
I often think it’s not worth engaging in these comments sections but here we go. ‘Via various means’ – I’d love to know what these are. You can’t avoid planning requirements, they are legally binding. Equally though councils can’t ask developers to pay for something that isn’t valid in planning terms.
Also, most developers, like any plc company, produce financial statements showing exactly how much money they make. It’s not a secret, Miller have there’s here: https://www.millerhomes.co.uk/corporate/financials.aspx
By Same Old Housebuilder Bashing
How about building doctors, and dentist and a new school because there is no more room at the ones in Widnes and Halton council know this
By M Cross
Its just going to be one big eye sore and bring Lunts Heath Road down. Not to mention the over populated dr’s surgerys, schools and traffic during peak times which is already horrendous going towards Cronton. Again its all about the money and not a thought about the residents who live in that area and wanted to keep it as greenbelt!!!
By Anonymous
Which high school will these children be able to attend? Doctors? Dentist? These questions need answering.
By Anonymous