NEARLY 500 homes could be built on the banks of the Mersey as part of wider regeneration plans in Wirral.
There are two separate planning applications for land in Bromborough which will be considered at a planning meeting of Wirral Council on November 10.
An application has been made by Wirral Council for 249 homes and another by Riverside Park Ltd for 217 homes – both near Eastham Country Park.
The applications are part of wider plans to regenerate Bromborough with separate proposals for up to 1,200 homes on a site further along the Mersey.
No objections were received for the Wirral Council application according to a report after 45 notices were sent to neighboring properties. No objections were received from the Environment Agency, Highways England and Natural England.
However, Merseytravel said improvements to bus stops on Old Hall Road needed to be made safe and Wirral Wildlife expressed concern about potential impacts on nearby bats, increased visitor numbers to Eastham Woods and asked for a buffer zone of 50 m between the accommodation and the woods. The developable area was then reduced to meet sustainable drainage requirements.
The site is in an industrial area that was previously used as an underground oil storage facility by the Department of Defence.
The application stated that the houses “seek to provide an attractive and well-designed residential development suited to its surroundings”, with the houses being a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes.
It was recommended for approval by council officers because “the project has been presented with the adjacent Riverside Park site, together with associated infrastructure, to create a new residential community of up to 466 homes” with the Riverside Park adjacent. site.
The report says it is in line with the council’s draft local plan and that impacts to nearby roads are seen as ‘acceptable’ with ‘good access to local services for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles’.
Riverside Park Ltd’s application for 217 houses lies directly to the east of the council’s application, with the two sites intended to be linked by a road.
On the site are currently three office buildings, a car park and roads with land to the east of the site becoming scrub land.
Riverside claims the site is in a sustainable location with good transport links and presents a brownfield site for housing development, which is a priority in the draft local plan.
The homes will also be a mix of one-bedroom apartments and five-bedroom family homes which Riverside says meet “the diverse needs of the surrounding area.”
However, the plans have also received criticism from Wirral Wildlife as well as Cllr Phil Gilchrist.
Cllr Gilchrist said: ‘There should be a natural planting area of native species as a buffer around the site. While the northern boundary takes into account pipelines/services, the southern and eastern boundaries must take into account nearby forests.
“The applicant must be prepared to lose some of the houses in these areas to provide the buffer zone. There appears to be no visual impression of the residential buildings facing the road to the north of the site.
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