St Helens go-ahead for Vistry

Consent has been secured for 164 homes in Thatto Heath, around half of which are allocated for social housing.

St Helens’ planning committee meeting on 1 November debated the application for more than an hour, with various concerns raised over issues such as highways access.

However, the motion to delegate powers to the head of planning to approve the scheme pending agreement on conditions was approved.

Vistry Partnerships will deliver the market housing under its Linden Homes brand, with the other 83 homes to be developed by Torus.

Advisers on the development include MPSL, Ridge, e3p, Professional Consult, Redmore Environmental, Urban Green, AES, Rachel Hacking Ecology, and SCP.

The proposal is for a site north of Elephant Lane close to Thatto Heath railway station. The site, 12.6 acres and sitting between Thatto Heath Road and Elm Road, is currently vacant and overgrown.

Previously, parts of the site have housed a day centre, allotments, and storage space for Network Rail. There is a vacant police station plot adjacent to the site’s main frontage.

Three-bedroom homes make up the largest element, with 91 dwellings planned. There would also be 17 four-bedroom homes, and 56 two-bedroom ones.

Of the 164 planned homes, 83 are to be affordable: 64 shared ownership and 19 rent-to-buy.

The proposal would also see the reconfiguration of a public car park located on the western boundary of the site off Thatto Heath Road. The proposal would provide 17 car parking spaces including two disabled spaces, providing an increase of two spaces on the current set-up.

The 81 open-market homes break down as 27 two-bedroom, 37 three-bedroom houses, and all 17 four-bedroom houses.

In August, Place North West reported that St Helens Council had exchanged contracts with Vistry for the local authority-owned land.

The planning reference number is P/2022/0480/FUL.