A huge new "community" set to sprawl across farming fields is set to completely change the face of one part of Merseyside.
Two housing developers plan to create new housing projects adjacent to one another on former green belt land east of Maghull.
The project's vision, according to Sefton Council documents, is to create a "comprehensive high quality, well-designed sustainable urban extension containing integrated, distinctive, safe and secure residential neighbourhoods".
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There will also be a business park and "improvements to local infrastructure".
The site is about a mile from Maghull town centre and 7½ miles north of Liverpool city centre.
The East Maghull Consortium is proposing a huge plan to knock down existing buildings to the north of School Lane and build 855 homes, an older persons housing scheme, a mixed-use local centre and public open space.
Bosses at Countryside Properties and Persimmon Homes are planning to build a further 841 houses and are seeking permission for 25 properties for an another older persons scheme.
The huge new community of 1,721 properties will be built on a stretch of farmland associated with Bridge Farm and The Poplars, after Sefton Council granted planning permission in March 2021, despite both planning applications have receiving hundreds of objections.
Planning chiefs were confident these issues were being investigated, and a number of conditions were put on the planning permission.
Developers will be required to, among other things, make financial contributions towards a new health care facility in Maghull, the expansion of Summerhill Primary School, and a new bus service through the allocated site.
Another requirement is that the developer will ensure local suppliers, contractors and labourers are employed for the scheme's delivery.
In advance of the development, Sefton Council and its partners secured the delivery of the new Maghull North railway station and the junction improvements to Junction 1 of the M58 at a combined cost of a round £19 million.
The council has also secured almost £7 million in financial contributions from the developer to "ensure the appropriate infrastructure is provided within and outside of the development sites".
So what does this mean for Maghull as we now know it?
Maghull Town Council said it hopes the town will "become a model for attractive and sustainable development within Merseyside and the wider Lancashire area."
Town Council leader Patrick McKinley said: "Changes in planning law are heavily weighted in favour of developers so we are and have always been at a disadvantage.
"To counter some of the imbalances in planning legislation we developed our Neighbourhood Plan policies - which 87% of Maghull residents have supported.
"We still have concerns about flood risk and the risk of the site not delivering the required infrastructure at the right place and at the right time.
"This remains our position, however, we are keen to work with the developers to ensure the risks are minimised."
Maghull's population, which is currently around 22,000, is set to increase - and there are a number of new jobs set to be created.
A Sefton Council spokesman told the ECHO: "Ultimately, this site makes a major contribution to meeting Maghull and Sefton’s housing and employment needs.
"It will have a mix of housing types and tenures, and will deliver key infrastructure, facilities and employment premises and opportunities, and will substantially change the face of East Maghull."
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