Plans to “kick-start” the redevelopment of an industrial estate in Widnes are set to be approved next month.
Proposals put forward by Halton Council to build 86 houses on former industrial land on Foundry Lane have been recommended for approval when they come before the council’s planning committee on February 1.
The plans would see homes built on sites formerly occupied by Tarmac and Stobart on the banks of Ditton Brook and are intended to be the first phase of the redevelopment of the wider Golden Triangle industrial estate.
The council has wanted to redevelop the Golden Triangle since 2004, when the nearby Asda closed and was replaced by a housing development.
However, financial problems meant the regeneration of the Golden Triangle stalled and it remains an industrial estate that has been blighted by a fire in 2019 and, more recently, a massive fly-tip.
Although the current proposals focus on Foundry Lane rather than the Golden Triangle itself, the council hopes it will be the first stage in converting the wider area into a housing estate.
Writing in support of the plans, Hough Green councillor Phil Harris said: “This will help kick start the redevelopment of the wider industrial area for residential use and is to be welcomed.
“It contrasts with other applications which seek to build on green space sites, instead of using brownfield sites like this.”
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The proposals are only an outline plan of the development, and details including the precise layout of the houses will be subject to another planning application at some point in the future.
In a report to the planning committee, council planning officers said the proposals complied with development policies except one relating to access to public transport and suitability for residents who do not own a car.
However, the planners said this could be addressed through future phases of development “as and when they come forward”.
The planners said: “The potential regeneration and kick-start to wider regeneration benefits of the scheme are considered to outweigh any harm resulting with such non-compliance in the interim.”
Planners also said the proposals would not have to provide affordable housing or open space for recreation, saying these requirements would increase the cost of “a council[-led] regeneration scheme and redevelopment of a brown field site”.
