COUNCILLORS are being recommended to approve plans for up to 550 homes and a 160-bed hotel in the town centre.

Demitrius Limited’s application for the council-owned land, bounded by Tanners Lane and Winwick Street, will come before the development management committee on Thursday.

The outline application proposes the demolition of existing structures and the erection of a mixed-use development comprising four blocks of up to 12 storeys to accommodate up to 550 residential dwellings, a 160-bed hotel and 3,000 sq m if commercial/office/retail floorspace with associated access, public realm works, parking and servicing – with all matters reserved apart from access.

It is being recommended for approval, subject to conditions and Section 106 agreement.

According to a report to the committee, the application was initially considered by the committee in December 2022 where members resolved to grant approval subject to conditions and a Section 106 agreement, while discussions to finalise the Section 106 agreement have been ongoing since then.

The majority of the site is occupied by a surface car park, it says.

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It also states that the previous resolution of the committee was taken under the previous Local Plan (Core Strategy 2014) and, following the adoption of the Warrington Local Plan (2023), it is this Local Plan (2023) that applications must be determined in accordance with ‘unless material considerations indicate otherwise’.

It says, given that the resolution to grant planning permission was previously made by the committee, it is ‘considered appropriate’ to return the application to members to reconfirm their resolution to grant planning permission subject to a Section 106 agreement and conditions taking into account the recently adopted Local Plan.

The committee is recommended to grant approval, subject to conditions and a Section 106 agreement, with delegated authority given to the development manager to ‘make minor amendments to planning conditions and reasons as may be necessary prior to the issue of the decision’.

However, in the event that the Section 106 legal agreement remains unsigned six months after this resolution, that the application is reviewed by the development manager and if ‘no meaningful progress’ is being made to sign an agreed Section 106 then delegated authority is given to the development manager to refuse the application in the absence of an agreed Section 106 agreement, without which the development will be ‘unacceptable in planning terms’.

The report to the committee says: “Outline permission is sought for the provision of a mixed use development which would have a height of up to 12 storeys and would provide up to 550 homes, a 160-bed hotel, and 3,000 sq m of commercial/office/retail floorspace.

“All matters are reserved for consideration under future applications except for access. Access into the site would be taken from Tanners Lane and Winwick Street.

“Following the committee’s resolution to approve the application subject to conditions and legal agreement as set out in the report, discussions have been undertaken on the S106 agreement between the council and the applicant.

“Although the application is yet to be determined, significant weight should be given to the previous resolution by development management committee to grant planning permission for the development subject to conditions and a S106 agreement to ensure consistency in decision making. The viability assessment submitted by the applicant also remains valid.

“The proposed development would provide up to 550 dwellings, a 160-bed hotel and 3,000sqm commercial/office/retail floorspace. Though all matters are reserved apart from access, it is considered that the development will be capable of improving the visual amenity of the local area, providing an acceptable standard of living for existing and future residents, and will not cause unacceptable harm to the borough’s heritage assets.

“There would also be no unacceptable impacts in relation to highway safety, flood risk, drainage or ecology subject to conditions.”