Local Plan Issues and Options (Regulation 18)

Comment

Representation ID: 15417

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cranford Estates (Strategic Investments) Limited and Taylor Wimpey North West

I&O_15976
Helsby: A sustainable settlement for additional growth Policy SS 4 (settlement hierarchy) of the consultation paper notes how the following settlements have a level of facilities and services that mean they can meet the day-to-day needs of their residents and those living in surrounding areas: Cuddington and Sandiway Farndon Helsby Kelsall Malpas Tarporley Tarvin Tattenhall Whilst not defined within emerging policy SS 4, all of these settlements are currently designated as Key Service Centres in the adopted Local Plan. For the avoidance of doubt, it is considered that future versions of the Local Plan should clarify that these settlements will be defined as Key Service Centres. Notwithstanding the point of clarification above, Taylor Wimpey and the Cranford Estates express their strong support for the continued identification of Helsby as a Key Service Centre, noting that, as confirmed in the Helsby Places background paper (2024): Helsby benefits from good sustainable travel options – with Helsby Railway Station providing access to Manchester, Chester, Liverpool and other local destinations with one service per hour. Hourly bus services also operate in Helsby and provide access to Chester and other local destinations. The Helsby background paper provides a summary of the journey times, which is replicated at Table 1 below. Helsby is a defined local retail centre, which has a range of amenities including a Tesco Superstore, convenience stores and a post office. Helsby has two primary schools, a secondary school, a GP Practice, dentist and pharmacies. Paragraph 1.3 of the Part One Local Plan confirms that Helsby is one of three larger rural settlements in the more rural area of the borough, alongside Neston and Frodsham. [See Table] Overall, Helsby contains a good range of services, has a good level of accessibility (benefiting from excellent links to Chester in particular) and has a good level of existing social infrastructure in respect of education and health care facilities. Helsby is therefore considered a very suitable and sustainable location to accommodate additional levels of growth in the emerging Local Plan. This supports the continued identification of Helsby as a Key Service Centre. As now explained below, the Robin Hood Lane site is highly suitable for residential development and should be allocated for housing to meet Helsby’s needs in the emerging Local Plan.

Comment

Representation ID: 15418

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cranford Estates (Strategic Investments) Limited and Taylor Wimpey North West

I&O_15977
Robin Hood Lane (HEL02) Site Characteristics & Proposed Development It is our strong view that Robin Hood Lane (potential growth area HEL02) represents the most suitable site for housing allocation in Helsby. In addition to the absence of any technical constraints preventing development of the site coming forward (as discussed shortly), the HEL02 growth area is also sustainably located in relation to existing amenities and services. Potential Growth Area HEL02 represents the most suitable option in Helsby, noting that: Development of HEL02 in its entirety would not encroach beyond/extend the existing built form extents of Helsby in a southerly or easterly direction. This location of the settlement benefits from an excellent location in relation to the Tescos Superstore (which is located just 400m to the north-west/within a five-minute walk) and will therefore reduce the need for vehicular trips. The nearest primary school (Horn’s Mill Primary School) is located 800m to the west and can be accessed within a 10-minute walk. Again, this will reduce the need for reliance on the private car. The growth area is unconstrained by flood risk from rivers – unlike the western section of growth area HEL03, which has some Flood Zone 2 and 3 areas on site. The Robin Hood Lane site, which comprises the northern section of growth area HEL02, spans an area of 5.11 hectares of greenfield land and is sustainably located on the edge of Helsby. Whilst the Site is located within the designated Green Belt, it is surrounded by existing development and would represent a logical extension to the settlement of Helsby. The site benefits from few site/technical constraints, noting that: Flood Risk: the site is located entirely within Flood Zone 1 (lowest probability of flood risk). No medium-high surface water flood risk is located on site and the site is at very low surface water flood risk. Heritage: no Conservation Areas or Listed Buildings are located on site, nor in close proximity. Trees & Ecology: No protected trees (subject to a TPO) are located on site. The site is not subject to any statutory ecological designations such as SSSIs, SACS etc. There are no nearby noise receptors (other than traffic noise) and the site is not located within an Air Quality Management Area. The site has capacity to deliver circa 100 no. dwellings, as shown on the Masterplan contained at Appendix 2. It is proposed that access to the site would be taken via The Rock, in the form of two priority junctions. The site access drawings contained at Appendix 3 demonstrate how the proposed site accesses can readily accommodate this scale of development. The site can also deliver green infrastructure on site, with a central green corridor proposed for landscape and ecological purposes. Development off-sets are also proposed along the southern and eastern boundaries, where green buffers/landscape planting is proposed to provide a soft transition to the surrounding Green Belt. Importantly, the release of this site from the Green Belt is entirely appropriate, noting it comprises a Grey Belt site and is therefore sequentially preferrable over other non-Grey Belt sites – as discussed below. [See Green Belt Assessment attached]

Comment

Representation ID: 15434

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: Cranford Estates (Strategic Investments) Limited and Taylor Wimpey North West

I&O_15993
Robin Hood Lane (HEL02) Site Characteristics & Proposed Development It is our strong view that Robin Hood Lane (potential growth area HEL02) represents the most suitable site for housing allocation in Helsby. In addition to the absence of any technical constraints preventing development of the site coming forward (as discussed shortly), the HEL02 growth area is also sustainably located in relation to existing amenities and services. Potential Growth Area HEL02 represents the most suitable option in Helsby, noting that: Development of HEL02 in its entirety would not encroach beyond/extend the existing built form extents of Helsby in a southerly or easterly direction. This location of the settlement benefits from an excellent location in relation to the Tescos Superstore (which is located just 400m to the north-west/within a five-minute walk) and will therefore reduce the need for vehicular trips. The nearest primary school (Horn’s Mill Primary School) is located 800m to the west and can be accessed within a 10-minute walk. Again, this will reduce the need for reliance on the private car. The growth area is unconstrained by flood risk from rivers – unlike the western section of growth area HEL03, which has some Flood Zone 2 and 3 areas on site. The Robin Hood Lane site, which comprises the northern section of growth area HEL02, spans an area of 5.11 hectares of greenfield land and is sustainably located on the edge of Helsby. Whilst the Site is located within the designated Green Belt, it is surrounded by existing development and would represent a logical extension to the settlement of Helsby. The site benefits from few site/technical constraints, noting that: Flood Risk: the site is located entirely within Flood Zone 1 (lowest probability of flood risk). No medium-high surface water flood risk is located on site and the site is at very low surface water flood risk. Heritage: no Conservation Areas or Listed Buildings are located on site, nor in close proximity. Trees & Ecology: No protected trees (subject to a TPO) are located on site. The site is not subject to any statutory ecological designations such as SSSIs, SACS etc. There are no nearby noise receptors (other than traffic noise) and the site is not located within an Air Quality Management Area. The site has capacity to deliver circa 100 no. dwellings, as shown on the Masterplan contained at Appendix 2. It is proposed that access to the site would be taken via The Rock, in the form of two priority junctions. The site access drawings contained at Appendix 3 demonstrate how the proposed site accesses can readily accommodate this scale of development. The site can also deliver green infrastructure on site, with a central green corridor proposed for landscape and ecological purposes. Development off-sets are also proposed along the southern and eastern boundaries, where green buffers/landscape planting is proposed to provide a soft transition to the surrounding Green Belt. Importantly, the release of this site from the Green Belt is entirely appropriate, noting it comprises a Grey Belt site and is therefore sequentially preferrable over other non-Grey Belt sites – as discussed below. [See Green Belt Assessment attached]