Redrow proposals approved

PLANNING chiefs have backed down in the face of the potential risk of incurring legal costs of a public inquiry if it did not allow Redrow to build 850 homes on farmland and fields near Runcorn.

Halton Borough Council’s development control committee passed the housebuilding giant’s three applications for homes on land near Delph Lane on Monday February 5.

The set of applications was a duplicate to ones already submitted in 2013-15 and over which it had appealed following non-determinations for each by the local authority.

Those matters had been called in and were earmarked to be decided by Housing Secretary Sajid Javid but a report published ahead of the meeting said Redrow had ‘twin tracked’ the applications to create a chance to avoid legal costs fighting an appeal and during an upcoming public inquiry that had been due to take place in April.

Halton Council’s approval came despite receiving a huge number of objections from the public and criticisms from organisations including Peel, which said the plans had not taken account of the nearby canal and marina. Planning officers had recommended approval with conditions.

The plots had been earmarked for housing developments in Halton’s Unitary Development Plan, brought into force in 2005.

The report said: “Redrow are ‘twin tracking’ these applications, meaning there are live applications before the local planning authority and simultaneously with the Planning Inspectorate as they wish to commence development as soon as possible.

“If planning permission is granted by the LPA, it will potentially save significant public and private sector expense in dealing with the appeal.”