New homes in borough set for brownfield sites only

Wirral Council has worked for years on the Local Plan

At least 14,000 homes are expected to be built in a borough on Merseyside over the next 15 years on brownfield sites only.

Wirral's Local Plan is believed to be the first strategy to stick to brownfield land approved in the country, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The regeneration proposal means no areas of green belt, about half of the borough, would be released for development.

Council leader Paul Stuart said the plan was robust and would deliver real progress, improvements, and opportunities for the whole of Wirral.

The plan includes building 11,814 homes by 2040, nearly 2,600 below the minimum required to address housing needs but it is based on the expectation housing delivery would increase as regeneration programmes get off the ground.

Planning inspectors Tom Bristow and Mike Worden gave the proposals the go-ahead last month for the council to sign it off despite concerns from developers that nearly £1bn of public money would be needed.

The council said the new homes would stop more young people leaving Wirral, which faces an ageing population.

'Creating hope'

The Local Plan will replace the council's 2000 planning policy.

In 2019, the government threatened to intervene over the council's failure to produce a plan arguing it had "failed to plan for and deliver the homes people need in Wirral" as its policies had been out of date since 2001.

The Local Plan was approved at an extraordinary meeting held on Monday by Wirral Council which is led by Labour but without overall control, meaning decisions have to be made on a cross-party basis.

Stuart said: "This is not just about buildings and protecting our green belt.

"It's about creating hope, opportunities and a bright future for every resident of Wirral."

Conservative councillors praised the delivery of the Local Plan including councillor Helen Cameron, who represents the rural area around Clatterbridge.

However, she said farms needed to be protected.

Green councillor Jo Bird said the plan was "outstanding" but said the new homes "actually have to be built", adding: "Developers will only build if they can sell or rent the homes.

"So looking forward, that's why Wirral Council have to keep investing time and money in the successful regeneration of Birkenhead."

Similar sentiments were expressed by the Liberal Democrats who said the plan would be of no use if it was not delivered.

Councillor Phil Gilchrist said he was "confident that the pace of delivery can pick up" but highlighted issues around viability.

He said he "looked forward to the years where we will actually put our borough back on the map and make it somewhere people want to invest in".