Country club gets all-clear
OUTLINE planning permission has been granted for a country club-style hotel on a horse’s field in Runcorn.
Halton Borough Council’s development control committee gave the goahead on Monday in a meeting at the Municipal Building in Widnes despite opposition from residents.
The firm behind the application is SOG Pension Fund, a subsidiary of Heath Business And Technical Park, which is intending to build the hotel as part of its Heath 2030 And Beyond programme.
Permission has already been granted for a shop next to the commerce zone’s entrance on Heath Road and SOG is also looking to build a retirement village on fields off Highlands Road.
Residents had opposed the country club hotel plans on grounds including that it might overlook a nursery next door and loss of greenspace and view. Halton Council’s own planning officer had raised a concern about the application not including ‘important details’ about chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminated lime wastes in nearby landfill.
SOG had argued that opening a hotel will open up previously inaccessible parkland.
Project backers has said a good hotel and restaurant would be welcomed in the area.
Heath ward councillor Chris Rowe, Liberal Democrats, had predicted that the application would be passed as it was ‘the second bite of the cherry’ for the applicant.
Ninety-two submissions were filed in total with all but three opposed to the plans.
The outline permission means SOG can now press on and develop full plans to build a 30-room hotel with restaurant.
An SOG spokesman said no artist’s impressions of how the building might look were available.
However, a design statetement lodged with Halton Council showed a simple cuboid design with brown wood or stone panelling, outdoor dining area and large groundfloor corner window looking out to the Mersey estuary. ●