Plans approved in spite of objections

COUNCILLORS have given the goahead for a bid to build 236 house plus 100 extra care flats in a Runcorn suburb.

Galliford Try’s application for the Sandymoor development had been deferred from early October, when late submissions meant planning chiefs had to postpone.

Halton Borough Council had received 56 representations, mainly from residents and the parish council raising concerns, while there was one letter of support.

Among those opposing the plans was The Woodland Trust, which has objected on the grounds that Bog Wood is ancient woodland, which Halton Council has disputed, citing the borough’s unitary development plan and Natural England’s tree register.

A report published ahead Halton Borough Council’s development control committee meeting said that having to provide a bigger buffer between trees and homes as demanded by the Woodland Trust would result in the loss of around five to six homes.

Residents have complained that some homes have not been consulted, that the extra care facility will be too big and not needed because of a similar scheme proposed for the Sandymoor district centre, traffic, and loss of privacy and greenery.

Worries were also voiced that the project could lead to the area being swallowed by a ‘metropolis’ while calling for the Government to avoid population growth and immigration and called for brownfield to be prioritised for development.

There was one letter of support praising the fourstorey building plan as an efficient use of space and also the proposed bistro at the extra care flats.

The site is 11.4 hectares in size.

Sandymoor Parish Council (SPC) said it supported the proposals overall with some concerns.

In a letter measuring around 570 words, the SPC criticised the lack of bungalows among the proposed housing and slated the size of the extracare facility.

The project was approved by Halton Council’s development control committee at Runcorn Town Hall on Monday, November 4.