Local Plan Issues and Options (Regulation 18)

Comment

Representation ID: 7581

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: University of Liverpool

I&O_8068
The University of Liverpool welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Cheshire West and Chester Local Plan Issues and Options consultation. We value the Council’s proactive engagement with us on this process, and we look forward to continuing a constructive dialogue as the Local Plan develops. As one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities and the original redbrick, the University makes a significant contribution to the Cheshire West economy through our campuses at Leahurst and Ness Botanic Gardens. These are nationally and internationally renowned sites of teaching, research and community engagement, and we are committed to their sustainable growth and long-term success. Leahurst Campus Leahurst is a 147-hectare campus at the southern end of the Wirral peninsula and the principal home of the University’s School of Veterinary Science – consistently ranked among the leading clinical bioscience schools nationally and internationally. It is also a major base for two of our Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Institutes. The campus provides: • clinical education and training for more than 400 BVSc undergraduates in their clinical years, with earlier cohorts regularly on site; • postgraduate training for over 100 graduate and doctoral researchers; • two working farms, supporting teaching and research in dairy, sheep, pig and beef production; • two internationally recognised referral hospitals for small animals and equine patients, alongside ambulatory practices serving the Wirral, Cheshire and North Wales • extensive laboratories and diagnostic facilities, supporting both our teaching hospitals and external partners such as Chester Zoo. Leahurst is already the largest rural employer in West Cheshire, with over 500 staff and a significant student presence, most of whom live locally and contribute directly to the regional economy. The University also provides vital veterinary, diagnostic and consultancy services to clients across the North West, supporting local agriculture, equestrian activity and specialist investigations. The campus plays a visible civic role too, hosting VetFest , a community open day which attracts more than 3,000 visitors annually. In this context The University of Liverpool strongly welcomes the proposal to include a Leahurst-specific policy in the emerging Local Plan. A dedicated policy offers the opportunity to establish a supportive and forward-looking planning framework for one of the region’s most significant education, research and employment assets. We note that CWAC has committed to working with the University on the development of this policy over the coming weeks, and we see this as central to ensuring that Leahurst can continue to contribute to sustainable growth, skills, innovation and economic prosperity across Cheshire West and beyond. We also appreciate that parts of our estate may be considered within potential growth areas and we are committed to engaging positively with the Council in identifying appropriate and balanced solutions. Any such consideration would, of course, need to be carefully tensioned against existing campus functions, our future development plans, and the wider needs of the local community. The Leahurst estate is also an important environmental and agricultural resource. Its semi-natural woodlands, hedgerows and ponds provide priority habitats for protected species such as badgers, hedgehogs, bats and great crested newts, while supporting a wide range of birds, insects and amphibians. Working with Defra and the local council, the University has enhanced biodiversity through new planting, wildflower strips and pond restoration. Alongside these ecological assets, Leahurst retains its agricultural role, with arable land and livestock farming forming a core part of its function as the University’s primary site for agricultural education. The Leahurst campus is already an important employer in the region, sustaining a highly skilled workforce and making the Wirral one of the leading regions for veterinary expertise. However, looking ahead, the University has ambitious plans for investment and redevelopment at Leahurst. Guided by our Campus Strategic Vision, we aim to grow student and staff numbers by 50% and develop the site as a nationally significant Animal Health Biotechnology Hub – emulating the success of Edinburgh’s Easter Bush Agritech Hub. This will deliver modern, scalable education and research facilities, create attractive partnership hubs, and establish a sustainable, future-facing campus embedded in its local community. To achieve this vision, it is essential that the Local Plan provides the right policy framework. In particular, Leahurst should be recognised explicitly as a site of strategic economic, research and educational importance. The plan should create a supportive environment for sustainable development, including the potential for purpose-built student accommodation as market conditions allow. Improved transport connectivity will also be critical to supporting Leahurst’s future success. At present, access relies heavily on private car journeys, which is neither sustainable nor convenient for students, staff and visitors. Electrification of the Neston rail line and its integration into the wider Merseyrail network would provide faster, more frequent and more direct services to Liverpool and beyond, while enhanced bus provision – including routes that serve the campus directly – would improve accessibility for the local community and reduce reliance on car travel. More broadly, we would encourage the Plan to recognise higher education and research facilities as critical drivers of economic growth and innovation, and to ensure the University is included within any designated employment land allocations.


Email sent to LJ rather than planning policy inbox - moved to planning policy inbox comments

Comment

Representation ID: 7582

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: University of Liverpool

I&O_8069
(See response to question NE2) More broadly, we would encourage the Plan to recognise higher education and research facilities as critical drivers of economic growth and innovation, and to ensure the University is included within any designated employment land allocations.


Email sent to LJ rather than planning policy inbox - moved to planning policy inbox comments

Comment

Representation ID: 7584

Received: 29/08/2025

Respondent: University of Liverpool

I&O_8071
Ness Botanic Gardens Ness Botanic Gardens is one of the University’s most distinctive regional assets: part of the 70 acre site is a Grade II registered historic park and garden, welcoming over 75,000 visitors annually and achieving a 91% Visit England rating. The Gardens also have a strong and loyal community, with around 6,500 members and a rich programme of adult and child learning, school visits, family events, horticultural groups, and the much-loved Ness Annual Show. The Gardens also hosts weddings, conferences and other similar events. As well as being a major contributor to the local visitor economy, Ness is a hub for education, informal learning and wellbeing - from school outreach and interpretation programmes toyoga, craft workshops and volunteering opportunities. The Gardens hold three National Plant Collections (Sorbus, Betula, Alnus) and continue to develop significant new horticultural projects such as the recently redeveloped Mediterranean Garden and the planned glasshouse redevelopment. They are a platform for academic research and teaching and play a central role in the University’s Biodiversity Action Plan and wider sustainability agenda. Looking ahead to 2031, the University intends to strengthen Ness Botanic Gardens as part of its Wirral Campus vision, linking it with Leahurst to create a unique cluster for education, research, and community engagement. We would strongly support the inclusion of a site-specific policy for Ness Botanic Gardens within the Local Plan’s Visitor Economy section. Such a policy would: • formally recognise the Gardens’ international and national significance; • safeguard its setting and biodiversity from inappropriate neighbouring development; • supports improved transport connectivity, including the electrification of the Neston rail line and enhanced bus services with direct access to the Garden; • create a planning framework that supports future investment in new visitor, education and research facilities; • ensure its role in health and wellbeing, climate resilience and biodiversity is fully reflected. Summary The University of Liverpool is proud of the role that Leahurst and Ness Botanic Gardens play in the Cheshire West and Chester area. We welcome the Council’s recognition of their importance and the opportunity to shape a supportive planning framework. We look forward to continuing our close working relationship with Cheshire West and Chester Council as the Local Plan develops, to ensure these sites can continue to thrive as assets for the borough, the region, and beyond.


Email sent to LJ rather than planning policy inbox - moved to planning policy inbox comments