Warrington Council adopts Local Plan despite opposition

A minimum of 14,688 new homes over the next 15 years are planned

Adopting a plan to build almost 15,000 of homes will support a town's "ongoing economic success", a council has said.

Warrington Council voted in favour of the Local Plan, which was first approved in 2021 but then put out for public consultation and government inspection, at a meeting on Monday.

Hitesh Patel, the Labour-led council's cabinet member for environment, said it would stop "uncontrolled development".

However, Tory member Mark Jervis said it was "the wrong plan for Warrington".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the proposals include a commitment to build a minimum of 14,688 homes, between 2021-22 and 2038-39, a figure which equates to 816 each year, and also earmarks more than 400 acres for business use.

Mr Patel said the risk of not having a fully adopted plan was "real" and the council had listened to concerns of residents and local elected members.

He told the full council meeting that it was a document that had "gone through public examination" and had been tested by the inspectors, adding: "If we fail to adopt it tonight, we leave ourselves exposed, not just to judicial review, but... to uncontrolled development by private developers - and that is something we should not do for the town."

However, Mr Jervis said it was "the wrong plan for Warrington".

"It's wrong for current residents and wrong for future residents, because it is simply not sustainable," he said.

He added that it was "a plan that has been driven by the political ideology of this failing Labour administration".

The plan was formally adopted after 33 councillors voted in favour of it, with 14 voting against and no abstentions.

Councillors also approved a number of modifications which were proposed by the government inspectors.