Taylor Wimpey appeals refusal of 350-home Widnes scheme
The volume housebuilder is asking the Planning Inspectorate to overturn Knowsley Council’s decision to block an application to redevelop a Green Belt site in neighbouring Halton.
At a planning committee meeting last year, applause greeted Knowsley Council’s decision to scupper Taylor Wimpey’s plans to redevelop a site in Widnes into 350 homes by refusing consent for access.
Halton Council had already granted planning permission to Taylor Wimpey for the redevelopment of 35.5-acre site off Chapel Lane in Widnes in September 2025.
Some 98% of the site is located within the borough of Halton, but that did not stop Knowsley Council blocking the plans due to concerns about highway safety related to the proposed vehicle access, a new T-junction located on the Knowsley side of the border.
Now, the developer is seeking to overturn that decision at appeal, where it will have to convince the planning inspector that its access solution is sound.
Having analysed the proposals, Knowsley’s highways team had deemed them acceptable and the scheme was recommended for approval.
However, an alternative motion to refuse on safety grounds was put forward and carried.
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “We have submitted an appeal following Knowsley Council’s decision to refuse our planning application for Chapel Lane, Widnes.
“We believe that the allocated development site is sustainable and suitable for development, and would deliver much needed new homes alongside areas of green space for the local community.
“The appeal process is now underway and we will continue to engage with the council as appropriate.”
Taylor Wimpey’s project proposes 20% affordable provision but faced a high level of opposition from the public on both sides of the border.
Despite its previous Green Belt designation, which some objectors alluded to, the land has now been allocated for housing under Halton’s local plan.
To learn more about the scheme, use the planning reference number 23/00244/OUT on Halton Council’s planning portal or 23/01037/OUT on Knowsley’s.
Lichfields is advising Taylor Wimpey.
