Borough blueprint signed off by council

APLAN which will help form the blueprint for how Halton will look for years to come has been approved by councillors.

The Delivery and Allocations Local Plan (DALP) was approved by full council at a meeting at Runcorn Town Hall on Wednesday, March 2.

The document sets out Halton’s planning strategy up until 2037 and has been in development since 2013, a process which included four rounds of public consultation and scrutiny by independent planning inspectors.

The DALP acts as a blueprint for how the borough can be developed, with pieces of land earmarked for different uses such as employment, retail or residential.

One controversial aspect of the plan has been the removal of certain areas of the borough from the protected Green Belt. The Green Belt acts as a buffer against development and is designed to guard against urban sprawl.

The new plan means these identified areas can now be built on, with developer Redrow Homes having already started consulting on proposals for two new estates consisting of almost 500 properties, on what will now be former Green Belt land in north Widnes.

The DALP had undergone a number of revisions following requests from inspectors.

It includes:

● A need for 350 homes a year to be built in Halton.

● The provision for 180 hectares of employment land.

● The reservation of three sites for potential new schools.

The DALP also promotes the development of key employment sites including Sci-Tech Daresbury, Manor Park in Runcorn and Widnes Waterfront as well as the remaining elements of the Mersey Multi-Modal Gateway.

It also identifies a number of infrastructure improvements to support development including road upgrades, open space requirements and additional local shops. Addressing members at the meeting, council leader Cllr Mike Wharton hailed the formal adoption of the local plan as “another significant milestone” for the council.

He said: “There are elements of the plan that are uncomfortable for us, particularly around Green Belt release, but I believe we have found the right balance here with a plan that will enhance the future development and growth of the borough in a controlled way, and enable us as local representatives to protect those important green areas, more than we would have been able to without a plan.”