Campaigners call for Countryside Peel Hall housing plans to be refused

This is according to campaigners hoping that plans for hundreds of homes on the 170-acre farmland site in Houghton Green are refused.

Councillors on Warrington Borough Council’s development management committee will rule this evening, Thursday, on an application by developer Countryside to build 404 homes, with planning officers recommending that the scheme be approved.

The threat of the site being built on has been one residents have been set against for more than 30 years, and despite the council refusing outline permission for 1,200 homes being built there, the decision was overruled by the Planning Inspectorate in November 2021.

As well as homes on land between the M62, Mill Lane, Poplars Avenue and Elm Road, permission is also sought for layout, scale, appearance and landscaping, as well as playing fields and upgrades to a multi-use games area, community building and associated car parking, public open space, footpaths, allotments and infrastructure.

But campaigners say approval could mean the closure of 26-year-old Peel Hall Kennels.

Owners Margaret and Kevin Steen say they are fighting for survival within a whirlpool of complicated planning procedures, even seeking the services of a specialist lawyer to protect their future.

Both Margaret, a stalwart Peel Hall campaigner and parish councillor, and her husband fear key aspects of the plans, including flood risk, drainage and noise, will go ahead devoid of public knowledge and much-needed, detailed interaction with leading agencies.

If approved, it could mean that, when houses near their business are occupied, just one complaint of noise could see the family business shutting down.

Peel Hall campaigners are standing by the couple, claim that plans will result in ‘catastrophic consequences’ for adjoining communities and new homeowners, and say recommendations, made by a Planning Inspectorate inspector to protect the kennels, are being sidelined.

Margaret and Kevin, together with the Peel Hall campaign team, say tonight’s rescheduled meeting is crucial and urge members to refuse the submission.

Margaret has also raised questions about Countryside's plans for the public right of way on Radley Lane that runs adjacent to the site.

She states that plans show that all the lay-bys are to be removed, adding: “The public right of way team has not been consulted on this, and neither has the public.

“Residents will have no safe spaces when walking down this lane. Traffic generated by our kennels, which has a legal right to use the lane, will have to reverse as far as 412 metres, but for some unknown reason the planners have not investigated this.

“The fire service has also raised concerns regarding changes to the access crews need at Radley Lane, but it seems to no avail. Health and safety does not seem to be a priority.”

Campaigner Dave Sawyer has been challenging Countryside's proposals for the site-wide drainage strategy.

Campaigners have long fought to save the site from development

With an extensive drainage engineering background, Dave claims there are ‘significant errors’ in the site’s overall drainage strategy, and he has expressed serious concerns regarding future flooding around the Peel Hall site.

He said: “There are many hundreds of residents who live in close proximity to the site whose properties might be put at greater risk of flooding as a result of the proposed development.

“Our welfare is paramount when it comes to making decisions about the Peel Hall site, and yet I do not see any evidence in the surface water drainage strategy to allay those fears.”

Margaret continued: “Dave is not on his own in raising concerns. The council’s flood risk team is also concerned and has posed many questions which are yet to be answered.

“Planners, however, want the committee to approve these plans now. The big problem with this is that our planners seem to have no control over developers and what they do once they have the reserved matters approved.

“This is clearly evidenced in the continuing development opposite Peel Hall at Mill Lane. At this site, no development should have taken place above slab level until National Highways had approved the design.

“To date, they still have not done so, but on-site development continues, and our council’s enforcement team refuses to act.”

Countryside has submitted plans to use Ballater Drive for access to build the spine road through to Poplars Avenue.

This proposal is described as ‘temporary’, but campaigners fear it will become a permanent fixture, subjecting residents to an ‘unacceptable’ timeframe with this quiet road being subject to hundreds of construction vehicles and employee parking.

Campaigners say safety is being overlooked as an open-plan playing field runs the entire length of the drive.

Margaret concluded: “The whole plan is lacking in detail, and at the end of it all, Countryside will walk away with their profit, and it will be residents who suffer the consequences.”

Fellow campaigner Wendy Johnson-Taylor added: “How can the committee approve Countryside’s plans when vital parts of this plan still have gaping holes in it?

“I know that the current Labour Government is shouting ‘build, build, build’, but I urge every member of this committee to put our communities first and refuse this application.

“This site is very complex, with many serious issues that still need to be properly addressed prior to the commencement of construction work.

“Do committee members seriously want to leave everything to chance, or do they care enough to do the right thing?”