Planners vary bus service conditions

COUNCIL planners at Warrington have agreed to vary conditions attached to an 11-year-old planning consent for a major housing development to save the developer almost £600,000.
The original scheme was for 450 dwellings on the Edgewater Park estate alongside the Manchester Ship Canal at Latchford – now built and mostly occupied.
Developers Morris Homes were required to make a financial contribution of £800,000 over five years towards the borough council’s costs in providing additional bus services necessary because of the development, approved in 2005.
But the new agreement will require the firm to contribute £200,000 over three years towards provision of a new, 30-minute bus service to and from Edgewater Park, operating Monday to Saturday, including an immediate payment of £20,000 to market the service.
There would also be a £20,000 payment to provide two bus stops on the estate and provision of a pedestrian access point from Powder Mill Road to Parkgate Avenue, subject to agreement with local councillors.
Members of the development management committee were told consultants had confirmed that in today’s market conditions the development would not be viable because of remediation costs of £2.75 million before the houses were built, arising from the previous industrial use of the site and the creation of 162 affordable homes, compared with 97 as originally planned.
Most of the houses have been built and occupied, the committee was told.