We have updated our Plan to deliver the homes, jobs, transport infrastructure and community facilities the borough needs.

We have now published our updated Proposed Submission Version Local Plan which you can read in the Cabinet papers for the meeting on Monday 13 September.

Following approval by Cabinet and Full Council, the plan will be subject to a new, six-week period of public consultation, from 4 October 2021. We will provide more information about the consultation and how to get involved in due course.

The aims of the Local Plan

Under government policy, every local planning authority is expected to deliver sustainable economic growth through up-to-date Local Plans which will contain strategies and initiatives to achieve their aims.

Our Local Plan aims to drive forward and support the ongoing growth and development of Warrington and provide the housing, business, jobs and infrastructure the borough needs. It aims to provide first class community facilities – new schools, medical centres, shops and roads – all of which will support thriving new communities and make Warrington an attractive place to live, work and invest in.

The plan also aims to meet the needs of a growing population and future generations, by providing enough new housing – including affordable homes - so that people who want to live here can do so, and to support an ageing population and residents with disabilities to live independently.

The key changes

Our updated Proposed Submission Version Local Plan proposes a reduction in the number of houses required and a reduced plan period. This, in turn, will mean a reduced need for Green Belt allocation.

The key changes we are proposing are:

  • A reduction in new housing from 945 a year over 20 years, to 816 a year over a reduced plan period of 18 years (2021-2038 inclusive).
  • Proposals for 580 hectares to be removed from the Green Belt for development. This equates to 5% of the total amount of Green Belt land in the borough and is significantly lower than the 1,210 hectares proposed in the previous Plan, which equated to 11% of the total amount of Green Belt.
  • The removal of the South West Urban Extension (1,600 homes), Phipps Lane in Burtonwood Village (160 homes), and Massey Brook Lane in Lymm (66 homes) from the Plan.
  • Moving away from the Garden Suburb concept in South Warrington (4,200 new homes), and instead including new proposals for a South East Warrington Urban Extension, with a reduced allocation of 2,400 new homes during the plan period.
  • The removal of Port Warrington (75ha employment land) and the Business Hub (25ha employment land) from the plan.
  • The inclusion of the Fiddlers Ferry site in the Plan, with the closure of the power station in March 2020 giving us the opportunity to bring the site into the allocation this time.

Key evidence based documents

The key evidence base documents which have informed the updated Proposed Submission Version Local Plan form Background Papers to the Cabinet and Full Council reports and can be found below:

Options Assessment Technical Report

We've published an Addendum to Appendix 3 of the Development Options and Site Assessment Technical Report (2021) in respect of the assessment of four  settlement ‘contender’ sites which were submitted after the conclusion of the previous Regulation 19 consultation.

South East Warrington Urban Extension

Please note that an incorrect version of this document was initially uploaded in error. This version includes minor editing changes and should be read as the final version.

Sustainability Appraisal

We've published an Addendum to the Sustainability Appraisal Report in respect of the assessment of five sites which were submitted after the conclusion of the previous Regulation 19 consultation.