146 people object to housing schemes

A TOTAL of 146 people have lodged objections to two planning applications comprising 172 new houses at Grappenhall Heys – but Warrington planning officers are recommending both schemes be approved
There have also been expressions of concern from Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council, Appleton Parish Council and the Woodland Trust.
Phase 1a involved 58 houses to the south of Astor Drive and the east of Witherwin Avenue and 77 objections have been lodged.
The second phase – 1b – consists of 114 houses and is to the north of Lichfield Avenue and east of Witherwin Avenue. Both are to the south of the popular visitor attraction, Grappenhall Heys Walled Garden.
They will effectively fill-in much of the existing green space between the walled garden and Grappenhall Village.
Outline planning consent for both schemes – and a third one bringing the total number of houses up to 400 but not yet before planning chiefs – has already been granted.
Earlier versions of the two schemes to be considered by the borough’s development management committee on Wednesday, were turned down last year.
Applicants are Homes England, who took over ownership of the land from the old Warrington New Town Development Corporation, and builders Rowland Homes.
The site is not in the Green Belt, nor is it a public open space. But objections are based on various grounds, including inadequate infrastructure, no provision for schools of health facilities, poor design, over-development, air pollution and the large number of existing houses in the area which are vacant.
Officers say the development will not have a harmful impact on adjacent properties and that ecological mitigation is in excess of the required level. They believe the local highway network will be adequate for the increased traffic the development will cause.