Halton Council is pressing ahead with its plans for the borough’s development over the next two decades despite receiving more than 1,000 objections to its proposals.
The council received 1,235 comments on its Local Plan from 250 individuals and organisations during a six-week consultation earlier this year, more than 80% of which were objections.
Many residents fear the plan, which the council is set to submit to the government next week, will mean the loss of green belt land and an increase in traffic on major roads through Widnes and Runcorn .
But some objections suggested that the council’s target of building an average of 350 homes per year between 2014 and 2037 is not ambitious enough and argue the council should aim for either 466 or 565 houses per year.
But despite the objections, documents prepared for a full council meeting next Wednesday recommend submitting the plan for examination by the government, during which it could still be amended.
The report notes that any further changes to the plan at this stage would mean further delays to the process as the council would have to hold another six-week consultation.
The largest number of objections - 362 - focused on the sites allocated for housing in the draft plan.
These include large areas of currently undeveloped land around Sandymoor and Daresbury which have been earmarked for a total of around 2,000 houses.
Some 62 letters objected to the loss of green belt land, claiming there were no special circumstances that would justify the 16% reduction in Halton’s green belt.
A previous version of the plan proposed reducing the green belt by 20%, but councillors changed this before putting the plan out to consultation.
Proposals to set aside land for the expansion of Liverpool John Lennon Airport also drew significant criticism, not only due to the loss of green belt land but also due to the impact on air quality and noise in the west of the borough.
If this proposal is overturned, it would deal a significant blow to the airport’s plans to extend its runway to accommodate long haul flights.
If the council votes to submit the Local Plan to the government, it will then be examined by a planning inspector, a process which can take months and will involve several weeks of public hearings.
The inspector can then recommend the plan for approval, or suggest modifications required to make it sound.
Once approved, the plan will form part of the legal framework the council uses to decide planning applications.
