A developer has asked Wirral Council for permission to submit a planning application to build up to three homes on a designated local wildlife site in West Kirby.
The site is on land near the junction of Holm Hill and Village Road that was formerly part of a Salvation Army nursing home which was demolished in the 1990s.
Seven homes were built on part of the nursing home site, but applications to construct houses on this particular piece of land were previously turned down in 1997 and 2015 due to concerns over the impact on ecological habitats, including an active badger sett.
Now, development consultancy firm Pegasus Group has submitted what is known as an application for ‘permission in principle’ which, if granted, would lead to the submission of detailed proposals for up to three houses with garages fro consideration.
Houses on land adjacent to the site
A letter submitted with the application states: “The proposed development seeks permission in principle to construct up to three dwellings. The scale, massing, and layout of the proposed dwellings will be determined at Technical Details Consent stage.
“Whilst the proposed access point into the site is also to be determined at Technical Details Consent stage, it is anticipated that this will be provided from Holm Hill. Any Technical Details Consent application will be accompanied by a suite of relevant technical reports which will assess any potential impacts resulting from the proposed development and, where necessary, provide recommended mitigation measures.”
It adds that the site is acceptable for housing because it is within a residential area and will be “an efficient use of land, considering the surrounding context and density of development in this area” as well as being sustainably located within walking distance of a range of services and facilities.”
It argues that the principle of development is acceptable because the Local Plan allows for developments in local wildlife sites “where the reasons for and the benefits of development clearly outweigh the impact on the nature conservation or geological value of the site and its broader contribution to the Liverpool City Region Ecological Network, and a suitable mitigation or compensation strategy exists.”
You can read the application at https://online.wirral.gov.uk/planning/index.html?fa=getApplication&id=231348