HUNDREDS of acres of open land at Appleton and Grappenhall, zoned for housing since the days of Warrington New Town – around 40 years ago – are unlikely to be built on in the foreseeable future.
Sites at Appleton Cross, Grappenhall and Pewterspear Green, were granted 7.1 planning consents under the New Towns Act – the equivalent of outline planning permissions.
But although some 5,000 homes were built in South Warrington as part of the New Town expansion, much of the development never took place and acres of land have remained in agricultural use, but with a question mark over their future.
Now the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) – successors to English Partnerships – which owns the land, has been told there is no requirement for them to implement 7.1 consents.
HCA representative Lance Houghton told a meeting of Appleton Parish Council that if they wanted to build on the land they would have to make a planning application like anyone else.
But they would wish to develop “brownfield” sites first so any building on 7.1 land would only be in the long term.
Coun Mike Stansfield observed that some 5,000 homes had been built, but not one yard of road to get people into Warrington.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said.
1 Comment
So has the Strategic Housing Market Assessment really gone straight from the printers into the bin? and have the Regional Development plans really been scrapped?…… and have all the little ‘declarations of interest’ signs been erected merely to decorate the landscape?
Or is it perhaps that the ‘forseeable future’ is merely the time between now and the next elections.!!!!!!!!!