Leverhulme Estate to take on Government in the High Court over decision to block its bid to build 788 new homes across Green Belt land in Wirral. Tony McDonough reports
Leverhulme Estate is not giving up in its bid to build 788 new homes on Green Belt land across Wirral despite being blocked by the council and the Government.
In January Wirral Council turned down a planning application by the business to build new homes on Green Belt land in Pensby, Irby, Greasby, Barnston, and Heswall. It included 300 ‘affordable’ dwellings.
Leverhulme appealed to the planning inspectorate but in September it upheld the decision of the council and said the new homes could not go ahead. Now the estate says it will challenge that decision in the High Court.
Wirral Council said the projects were inappropriate development for the Green Belt. It added there was insufficient evidence regarding the environmental impact of the schemes and not enough active travel provisions.
There has also been significant opposition to the plans from local residents. Thousands of people have signed petitions.
Nigel McGurk, head of planning and development for Leverhulme, said: “Following careful consideration, Leverhulme has taken the decision to challenge various points of law relating to the decisions not to overturn the refusal by Wirral Council of seven separate planning applications.
“The grounds for the legal challenge include the Planning Inspector’s failure to
assess five-year housing land supply, the status of Wirral’s Local Plan and alleged prematurity argument relating to Leverhulme’s applications.
“We will pursue this legal challenge and, at the same time, continue to promote the Leverhulme Vision through the Local Plan process.
“There is an urgent need for the delivery of new affordable and family homes across Wirral and we believe this needs to be achieved in a viable and sustainable way.”
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A spokesperson for Wirral Council told the Liverpool ECHO: “The council has been named as a party in the application made by Leverhulme Estates against the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
“The council has submitted its response in support of the decision of the Secretary of State and the Planning Inspector and is now waiting to hear if a judge considers that the case should proceed to a full hearing.”