Residential approved for Formby Green Belt site

Sefton Council has approved an outline planning application for seven houses on Green Belt land in Formby. The site is now being marketing to potential developers.

Turley submitted the application in November 2016 on behalf of Formby Distribution & Storage. The original application was for 14 homes, but this was later reduced to seven. In 2015, Turley submitted an application to change the three-acre site in Moss Side from agricultural to storage usage. The site currently accommodates vehicles within vacant polytunnels and glass houses.

Developers are in discussions with Formby Distribution & Storage about how the project could be delivered, but no confirmations of deals have been made. Full details of the layout, scale, appearance and landscaping of the development will be considered in subsequent applications to the council.

Indicative plans show detached and semi-detached family homes could be built on the site, and Turley said these are likely to have between three, four, and five bedrooms. It has not been decided if the homes will be for rent or sale.

DK-Architects designed the project, with TEP as environmental consultant and Royal Haskoning as engineering consultant.

Dave Dickerson, director of DK-Architects, said: “This project has the potential to be a very special development, offering a broad range of houses with a unique architectural character in a semi-rural setting.”

Carly Hinde, senior planner at Turley, said: “The scheme will deliver a number of benefits for the local area and make a welcome addition to the housing supply position in Formby.”

The application received six objections from properties on Moss Side and the Formby Parish Council, namely that the development would pave the way for additional residential schemes.

A spokesman for Sefton Council said: “Due to the previous use, in Green Belt policy terms this site was classed as previously developed. The proposed residential development was significantly reduced in scale between the original submission and the approved scheme and was judged against local and national Green Belt policies.

“As a council we have identified sufficient land to meet our immediate future needs to 2030 within our Local Plan, which was adopted in April 2017, and we are not seeking to allocate further Green Belt land for development.”