Sefton and Wirral look to advance resi sites
Both local authorities are looking to accelerate delivery of social housing, with members asked to approve next steps for a number of brownfield sites in each council area.
Sefton
Sefton Council’s cabinet will net week be asked to approve the next steps in its Sefton 2030 initiative, proposals that will allow its partner Sovini Group to begin early feasibility work on further development sites.
These are the Former Ainsdale Hope School site, the Professional Development Centre in Formby, and the former TT Cables/Peoples site in Bootle.
If approved, Sovini will take forward surveys and investigate initial design ideas. The ballpark figure for potential new homes across a range of tenures is 230 at this point.
Sefton Council and Sovini signed the Sefton 2030 partnership in March, through which they are committed to building 1,000 new, social and affordable homes for local people by the end of the decade. The partnership sees council-owned land pooled with the Sovini Group’s development pipeline.
While the TT Cables site was already on the council’s disposal pathway, the school and PDC have more recently been identified as being surplus to operational requirements and thus ripe for accelerated delivery – although all the sites have been in the local plan since 2017.
Plans for the Formby site will include commitment to working with Ravenmeols Community Centre to ensure the continued provision of community facilities in the area.
Any schemes would still need to go through planning, and then return to cabinet for disposals to be signed off, with consultations as required along the way.
Cllr Phil Hart, Sefton Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for housing, said: “Everyone deserves a safe, good-quality home. It’s key to a safe, happy and fulfilling life. Sefton 2030 is about making that a reality in our borough.
“By working in collaboration with The Sovini Group, we can bring forward currently unused sites that have been earmarked for disposal and turn them into the right mix of over 200 new homes for local people.
“This is an important step; we are still at an early stage, and nothing will happen at these sites without further approval of detailed plans by the Council. These plans will include, in relation to the Formby development, a commitment to ensuring new facilities for the Ravenmeols Community Centre.”
Wirral
Wirral Council’s policy & resources committee will be asked to sign off a report that identifies the first six sites identified for disposal as it looks to catalyse delivery of affordable housing, under the banner of the Wirral Affordable Housing Accelerator Programme, where it will work with registered providers to increase housing supply.
A vehicle, the Wirral Strategic Housing Partnership, has been established to operate as the delivery body.
The sites are:
The former Bebington Town Hall, annexe and car park site: A 1.8-acre plot, allocated for residential development in the local plan, with a provision of at least 20% affordable homes set out. The site was cleared in 2017 and neighbours the listed Central Library.
Land at Howson Street, Rock Ferry: an open amenity space, along with surface parking for 16 cars, in a primarily residential area.
Arrowe Hill facilities management store, Woodchurch: once a single-storey school building, the building has long been used for storage, is described as in a “poor condition” and comes with developable land – although narrow access could be a constraint.
Beechwood Recreation Centre: a 0.86-acre plot, housing a vacant 1970s-built facility plagued by anti-social behaviour. Sits in a primarily residential area.
Land at Montrose Avenue, Seacombe: now cleared of earlier housing, establishing the suitability of residential development.
Land at Pearson Road, Tranmere: two separate parcels of land at the top of Argyle Street South. Although the site is in a primarily residential area, it slopes steeply, is narrow and has terraced housing abutting the site from one side. However, a consent was once established for 11 homes.
