Oakwood Homes returns to Sefton Council’s planning committee this week as it makes a second bid to secure approval for 33 luxury homes close to three top Liverpool city region golf courses. Tony McDonough reports
Sefton’s chief planning officer is recommending approval for a project comprising 33 luxury homes that will come before councillors for the second time this week.
At the beginning of July the planning committee deferred its decision on developer Oakwood Homes’ application to build 33 new homes, including four apartments, in Birkdale. It will come before the committee again on Wednesday, July 23.
This plot of land, to the rear of 34 Lynton Road, is close to Hillside Golf Course, Royal Birkdale Golf Club and Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, as well as Hillside Train Station. It would be known as Fairway Park.
At the beginning of July councillors voted to defer the decision to gain further information on viability and on the improvements considered necessary to the junction with Waterloo Road.
Prior to that meeting planning officers had recommended that councillors should grant approval. In a report, they said: “The site is allocated for housing within the Sefton Local Plan.”
However, the application was deferred to secure clarification of the potential impact the development would have on the junction with Waterloo Road and further details on the economic viability of the development in relation to affordable housing provision.
For a home to be classed as affordable its sale price or rent must be no more than 80% of local market rates.
Local objections to the new homes, which would be a mix of three, four and five bedrooms, include concerns over an increase in traffic volume at the nearby Waterloo Road junction, potentially leading to more collisions.
In a new report, Sefton’s chief planning officer Derek McKenzie said a project was already in the pipeline to improve improved facilities for pedestrians at this junction.
Under a Section 106 agreement (where developers contribute towards local environmental improvements) Oakwood would make a £25,000 contribution to the project.
Mr McKenzie writes: “In reviewing the above details, it is concluded the development would not have a detrimental impact on highway safety and the residual cumulative impact on the road network cannot be considered to be severe.”
On the question of the scheme’s viability in respect to the provision of affordable housing, he adds: “The applicant has provided a detailed analysis of the viability of the site and this has been fully scrutinised by the council’s viability consultant.
“It is accepted that the proposal cannot support the full provision of affordable housing but could make a contribution towards providing this off site. This complies with the Local Plan.”
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He concludes: “On balance, it is considered that the proposed development is acceptable, and the application should be approved, subject to conditions and the signing of a Section 106 legal agreement as detailed in the original report.”
This scheme would utilise land alongside the Merseyrail Northern Line between Southport and Liverpool, near to Hillside Railway Station, which has previously been used as a landing base by Network Rail.
It would also involve the demolition of 34 Lynton Road to create a new vehicle access from Lynton Road.