Peel loses High Court battle over Worsley housing

Peel L&P has lost its latest legal challenge over Broadoak, a greenfield site in Worsley where the developer was looking to build 600 homes.

It is the latest blow for the developer, which has been locked in various battles over the site since planning permission for an initial 600 homes was refused by Salford Council in November 2013. Another planning application for up to 165 homes was also put forward for another part of the Broadoak site, but this was also refused, this time in 2017. The planning applications were brought forward by Peel Investments North, part of Peel L&P.

Planning appeals over the refusals were dismissed by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government in November last year; Peel subsequently challenged this decision, and on 2 August, Justice Dove ruled against Peel at the High Court.

At the case, Peel argued the case that Salford’s housing land supply of 13 years was almost entirely made up of city centre apartments, with a lack of family and affordable homes.

It was also argued the ongoing delays to the GMSF mean individual schemes would have to come forward to meet housing need. Meanwhile, Peel also said the existing policies applying to the site were out of date, coming from a Unitary Development Plan running between 2004 and 2016.

Peel had argued a decision should “got beyond the numbers to consider whether the housing being provided is meeting local need”, but this argument failed to sway the judge who ruled against the developer.

After the judgement, Louise Morrissey, director of land and planning at Peel L&P, said the decision “doesn’t seem to have grappled with the issues” in the planning applications.

“The judgment will encourage local authorities to delay plan making and focus on delivering numbers only, at the expense of making sites available for family and affordable housing,” she said.

“This is not where we expected to be, given the national imperative to get on with tackling the housing crisis. We will carefully review the judgement and consider our position.

“At the very least, the case highlights that the national rhetoric of building the right homes in the right places is not being achieved on the ground due to a focus on numbers at the expense of the actual needs of families and people requiring affordable homes. If the Government is serious about tackling the housing crisis it needs to tighten up on what is being delivered on the ground.”

Salford City Council had previously aimed to protect the greenfield plot, described as a “vital green lung” that would be fragmented by development. The site is currently a mix of woods and open meadows, stretching from Monton Green to Worsley Road.

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Greedy Peel are laughable. Affordable housing in Worsley? That was never going to happen and their plans would change repeatedly during the course of any development. Well done to all the local residents and pressure groups that have fought to protect this vital green space.

By podger

Peel will not stop at this. They will keep going and going until it happens…
Due to the location the price tag of the houses would be circa 450k . It is purely profit motivated. They are not one bit bothered about affordable housing..

By Paul S

Jog on.

By Leave our greenfield alone.

I am so pleased with the above decision as I walk on this land each day with my two Young sons. The diversity of wildlife, trees and plants never cease to amaze us in such a small area. These types of small areas are a fading glimpse of how our land once was.
This area is a true last gem in the area providing a small glimpse of nature in a highly populated area.

By Mark jones

you’d think even Peel would accept they have enough ‘family housing’ sites in the pipeline around the western GM fringe, but no they have to try to extract every last drop of value out of land they own. How long before they bring forward another scheme they’ll try to sell as a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity here

By lost an aPeel

Put Worsley on the end of your address and it adds £100k, anyone been to Walkden or Little Hulton recently? Hardly justifies it.

By Anonymous

The Bandits at Peel, which is partly a forign company do not consider the areas that act as pollution sinks. They are not realy concerened that Worsley and Roe green are polluted areas from traffic. Even though Salford put up a super fight against Peel they are allowing the green sinks on either side of the A580 East Lancs road to be built on.

By Ken Lowndes

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