St Helens appoints team for 3,000-home Bold Forest Garden Village
Avison Young will lead a squad of consultants to draw up plans for 328 acres of released Green Belt earmarked for thousands of homes.
St Helens Council is keen to progress plans for the 3,000-home Bold Forest Garden Village, which is the largest housing allocation in the whole of Liverpool City Region.
Located north of Gorsey Lane in Bold, the site was released from St Helens’ Green Belt at the last local plan refresh.
St Helens Council owns around 46 acres within the masterplan zone.
Working in collaboration with Avison Young as part of the wider design team are Optimised Environments, SLR, Useful Projects, Social, and SEC Newgate.
St Helens Council have engaged Walker Sime’s regeneration delivery function to support and oversee the development of the masterplan, which is due to be approved next autumn.
Lisa Harris, executive director of place services at St Helens Council, said the scheme forms part of a wider approach to placemaking.
“Through balanced regeneration and sustainable growth, the borough is creating a range of attractive, healthy, safe, inclusive and accessible places in which to invest, visit, work, and make St Helens a residential destination of choice,” she said.
“Bold Forest Garden Village will be a landscape-led development that optimises its unique location with the outstanding Bold Forest Park Area, creating a new housing market demand and providing complementary opportunities for our existing communities of Bold, Clock Face, Sutton and beyond.”
Nicola Rigby, principal at Avison Young, added: “As the largest housing allocation in St Helens and the city region, Bold Forest Garden Village will make a significant contribution towards economic growth and tackling the housing crisis.
“However, our collective vision for Bold Forest Garden Village is much more than a housing delivery programme as we want existing and future communities to benefit from diverse environments and green spaces that enhance health and wellbeing.”
Will they stop once it merges with Omega Northwest? Liverchester will be huge place.
By Swampy
This site is something of a public transport desert. Happy to help consider sustainable public transport options to enhance accessibility for residents and to enable visitors to enjoy the Garden Village environment
By Agito Transport Planning LLP
Consultant’s named = 7. Those with offices in Liverpool City Region = 2. Do better St Helens Council. Create new jobs in your region.
By Anonymous
What a waste of green belt land when all this brown land is all a round
By Clock face resident
So, prime agricultural land that acts as a carbon sink and sequesters CO2 to be built on despite objections from all involved except the council. Area also prone to flooding so good luck with those gardens. Schools full, doctors full, dentists full which is the current situation. Several large brownfield sites in the area that can be used. Current residents have been neglected all for increased rateable properties and increase in council tax revenue. Shame
By A concerned local
Big opportunity this for St. Helens but they have to get the right partners on board and sort site infrastructure.
By Anonymous
Love the quote from the council ‘a landscape led enviroment’….no mention of the demolition of ancient woodland, valuable agricultural land, public footpaths and serious effect to precious wildlife add onto that an increase 3000 houses in an area where its virtually impossible to get a doctor or dentist and schools are already oversubscribed ….yeh makes perfect sense doesn’t it??!!!
By Concerned tax payer
As a resident in this are it is very concerning to me and many people why this part of the borough is unindated with housing developments. I live very close to the Mose Nook development 950 houses, which has one new main road within the development, which is absolutely madness. It has increased the traffic along Berrys Lane, which is horrendous, and making the school along this road very unsafe. This needs looking into due to the huge volume of traffic along this road. Those responsible for the infrastructure need to look into this. Therefore additional housing in this area will only make it worse. Having no additional Dr and schools to accommodate what will happen! . St Helens councillors and others responsible don’t living in this area, so unfortunately I’m sad to say it will be passed.
By Resident
“Resident” it should get passed as its an allocated housing site in an adopted development plan. Schools, health and public transport are in Policy LPA11, page 88, so no need to object. Nor is it prime agricultural land, its Grade 3. It’s Flood Zone 1 and surface water issues can be designed into a comprehensive drainage scheme that also factors in additional capacity for climate change. Now I’ve alleviated all the negativity/concerns, perhaps you can all write in and support good quality housing for your kids and grand kids. No need to thank me.
By Mr N Imby
Discussing u turn from St Helens council designated green belt lost forever this council cannot be trusted. St helens needs all the green belt it has this area is already a poor area and needs open space, I am not a nimby but practical in my veiw build somewhere that has more green belt and do not remove the little we have around Sutton and bold. Shame on the untrustworthy council do they not realise that they are hoping to generate additional revenue for the council coffers only to evaporate as the government funding will be reduced so no gain for the council purse and loss of green belt which is consumert with a quality of life in the area which people need in a depraved area of the country.
By Graham adcock
It will ruin history and cause more trouble
By Jo
Mr N Imby, when it’s gone it’s gone. There are plenty of brownfield sites that can be redeveloped rather than using the designated site. Currently, agricultural land bank can feed roughly 20 million people domestically so we rely on imports. The grading of the land, the flood plan etc has been implemented by a system that makes this a self fulfilling prophecy. Unless you are about to build an entirely new road network for access to the area this is going to be chaos (because it already is). I am all for progress but this particular plan is ill thought out and not for the good of the local area. Until all brownfield is utilised then this is for the money plain and simple.
By A concerned local
There is going to be no green belt land left just more houses in an area that as become one big housing site wherever you look and yet the town centre is a complete out of date eye sore! Full of drunks down and outs and shut up shops why not build on that let’s face it knowing with any credibility uses St Helens town centre anymore there’s nothing there so why make out it’s a place that needs all this new housing I agree with using brown fill were it’s needed but not green belt it’s there for a reason a bit of fresh air wen your walking and something other than concrete ECT to look at people need green spaces to function properly and wot about the traffic congestion wen all these not needed houses are ding built and are completed ? The roads are bad enough now. Who makes these decisions needs a rethink and quick
By Jacko