Concerns over ‘radical’ Grappenhall Heys housing plans – including from police

The Homes and Communities Agency – which was replaced by Homes England – secured outline planning permission for the site in 2017.

After being selected to deliver the scheme, Urban Splash is developing phase two of the development at Grappenhall Heys.

The properties will be accessed via Curzon Drive and Keepers Road.

Urban Splash was only publicly announced as the developer in late November 2020 after internal delays with Homes England.

This meant that plans were already advanced when the company reached out to engage with councillors and residents.

But the scheme will actually be delivered by House by Urban Splash, a joint venture between Urban Splash and a Japanese modular house building company – which Homes England also has an interest in.

The site will also be part of a national Government pilot with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which requires 80 per cent of the development to be constructed using modern methods of construction (MMC).

This will mean most of the houses themselves will be built in sections off site and then assembled in situ.

How the development could look after completion

But a combination of the MMC stipulation and Urban Splash’s design DNA means that there is a ‘huge clash’ in styles between the proposed development and the existing houses at Grappenhall Heys.

There will be very little brick in the new houses, with timber and other cladding being used in the main.

This, together with flat and steeply pitched roofs, means there will be a very visible divide between the current and proposed development if built.

Residents feel that they are being held ‘in contempt’ by how much of a clash the new design presents.

They feel that very little precedent from the existing Grappenhall Heys phases has been respected in the new design.

There are also concerns that some new three-storey dwellings, located near the brow of the hill at the top of Witherwin Avenue, will shift the visual focal point of Grappenhall Heys.

Many residents feel frustrated by the late and relatively brief pre-application consultation, along with the ‘poor response’ from Urban Splash.

Cllr Ryan Bate (LD – Grappenhall), who has been working with residents to try to get changes to the plans, says: “The proposals by Urban Splash are simply too radical and present too much of a clash with the existing houses at Grappenhall Heys.

“As a development and a community, Grappenhall Heys has never been finished and Urban Splash have missed this opportunity completely.

“The mind actually boggles as to why Homes England felt Urban Splash were the right fit for this site and they must shoulder much of the blame for why we are facing this.

Cllr Ryan Bate

“All that said, I have been meeting with Urban Splash, along with residents, and I would like to hope that we may yet agree something which is more suited to the location.  

“Grappenhall Heys residents didn’t choose to be guinea pigs in some national pilot and yet they will have to live with whatever Urban Splash build.”

Cllr Bate also introduced Grappenhall Heys Residents Group to Urban Splash.

Alastair King and Steve Jackson, on behalf of the group, says residents feel ‘we are being treated with contempt’.

They added: “Not only has Homes England unilaterally decided the fate of our community architecturally but their delays in declaring the developer means we feel extremely marginalised about what we can now influence about these radical designs.

“By not adopting long standing and upheld precedents we feel existing residents and the woodland boundaries will be severely impacted and there is a high risk that the design will become the next great housing experiment that fails everyone in the longer term. 

“There are numerous flaws and sub-standard provisions in the proposal which if allowed to proceed would, we feel, contravene both national and local planning polices.

“There are also real concerns, raised by Cheshire Police, regarding access and making the area more susceptible to crime and anti-social behaviour.”

Although the scheme has secured outline permission, it will still need to get the reserved matters application approved.

The reserved matters part of the planning process requires the applicant to submit detailed proposals over the scale, layout, access and appearance of the development.

But the developer has issued a statement in response to the concerns.

A spokesman said: “House by Urban Splash is proud to be working with Homes England to create a new, green neighbourhood for Grappenhall Heys.  

 “We are a modern house-builder, creating communities in which people can ‘live well by design’ thanks to our commitment to design, wellbeing, choice and sustainability.

How the development could look after completion

“We’ve applied those principles at Grappenhall Heys and, since our appointment as developer we have had a number of discussions with many of the local stakeholders.

“We have engaged with Warrington Borough Council, the Places Matters Design Review Panel, local residents, the parish council, ward members, neighbours and other groups. 

 “Through our ongoing discussions with local stakeholders we have received a range of feedback, including positive comments in relation to the green and design credentials of this development where we will bring more than three hectares of open space, playgrounds, biodiversity habitats and 900 trees.”

The developer also said it has had many enquiries from prospective purchasers wanting to live on there.

The spokesman said: “Our plans are intended to embrace the local community, and we will thread an open space through the centre of the site to give people a shared, green resource which can be enjoyed by everyone.

“Of course though, with almost three decades experience in creating award-winning new homes, workspaces and neighbourhoods across the country, we do understand that design is subjective and that some residents concerned about our proposals.

“Some of the feedback we have received has already been taken on board and implemented into our proposals – right now we are looking at further options to address stakeholder comments around materials used, the heights of buildings and the layout.

 “We look forward to taking these plans back to stakeholders for discussion and a productive, open dialogue with local people.”

Warrington Borough Council has confirmed it is currently considering the planning application for residential development on the land.

A spokesman said: “As with all development applications, all representations and the views of local residents on the proposals will be considered in determining the application.”

Meanwhile, in a statement Homes England – which is the Government’s housing accelerator – confirmed it will continue to work with the local authority and stakeholders throughout the development of Grappenhall Heys.

It added: “Homes England is committed to accelerating the delivery of new high-quality and sustainable homes.

“We support those in the industry; including local authorities, housing associations and developers, who match our ambitions of increasing and speeding up the supply of these new homes in the areas that they are needed most.”

Cheshire Police, as statutory consultees advising on design from a crime and public safety point of view, has expressed concerns.

In its response, it said it has some concerns about the high levels of permeability and lack of defensible space.

The force also discussed it with local operational officers.

One expressed concerns, from a policing point of view, about the large amount of alleyways/walkways through the area, which might make finding a particular location a challenge.

The officer also said ‘you might say that these locations would be a magnet’ for anti-social behaviour and drug use, but added ‘knowing the location and the affluent nature of the area’ then hopefully ‘this shouldn’t be a problem’.

The police believes the development appears to have a high degree of permeability which will make it easy for the community but also potential offenders to access on foot.

A spokesman said it would be ‘inappropriate’ to comment further at this stage as the application remains ongoing.