Residents living on a Knowsley housing estate which could soon be surrounded by nearly 800 new homes have spoken of their anger at the plans.
People living in the Whinberry Drive estate in Kirkby said they were "not happy" over the council's proposal to sell a 56-acre plot of land south of Cherryfield Drive for housing development.
Knowsley Council announced the plans last year to sell the site for housing development and in September identified a preferred bidder, David Wilson Homes and Barrett Developments, following a tendering process.
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The partnership's bid has outlined 796 new homes - including the provision for 18% affordable houses.
Last week, the ECHO reported on the plans for the site, which includes the former home of the Golden Eagle pub and stretches in an area from Cherryfield Drive in the north to the A506 in the south after a resident posted photographs on social media of what appeared to be site investigations being carried out.
Just off Bewley drive, on an estate of houses built around 20 years that juts into the parcel of land, residents who the ECHO spoke to about the plans expressed frustration.
Several spoke of a previous battle to stop the Destination Kirkby development not long after many bought their homes on the newly built estate.
Helen Wheelhouse, said: "We'd only just moved in and then we found out they planned to put a petrol station just behind our back yard.
"We'd bought the house because of the nice views over green space at the back.
"When they came round to do the consultation, I remember crying in the kitchen.
"I said how would you feel if you found out your lovely new house is about to have a petrol station right behind it? It was supposed to be 6ft from my garden fence.
"The whole community got together to fight it then, do we have to do this all over again?"
Up the road, similar views were expressed by neighbour Shaun Lever.
Having moved into his house 18 years ago, he said he remembers all too well the battle residents faced over the proposed Tesco development.
He said: "When I heard about the plans, my first reaction was 'here we go again.'
"It's a former landfill behind us, if they couldn't build on it then, and at the public inquiry their plans were rejected, I can't quite understand what's changed now.
"As most people would tell you, the reason these homes were bought, the reason I bought this home was for the view.
"it's a rare green space which is well used, people walk their dogs, have picnics.
"I'd also be concerned at what is under that land, it was landfill, what state is it in?"
Fellow neighbour Karen said: "We had no idea all these homes were going to happen, the first I knew about it was my local councillor Steve Smith asked me for my views on it.
"Then I saw there were people out the back doing some kind of work, putting probes into the ground.
"I like the field out the back, the council say they've consulted us but they haven't.
"They asked us a couple of years ago what we wanted for Kirkby after they bought the land back. To be surrounded by 800 homes, who said they wanted that because it wasn't us.
"I know a lot of people who live here and we've all talked about it and people are not happy."
Other residents, who asked not to be named, said they were concerned that such a big development would have a negative impact on infrastructure, particularly doctors and schools and that they felt the people who the development would impact should have been consulted before the council press ahead with plans to sell the land.
Knowsley Council was approached for comment and said: “In March 2020, the Council carried out a public consultation asking, “What makes a good town centre?”.
"We received over 300 suggestions from local people. As well as a supermarket and an improved shopping, leisure and food and drink offer, over half of the respondents told us that they wanted a mix of new housing in the area.
“While site investigations are currently ongoing on the land to the south of Cherryfield Drive to see if it would be suitable for the development of new homes, it is important to note that the Council has not received or therefore approved any planning application for any development.
“The site in question is a brownfield site where there was previously a secondary school (which was demolished a decade ago) and a landfill site. The areas under consideration for potential development are currently not publicly accessible.
“The suggestion of building new homes on the site has been widely communicated by the local media, including by the Liverpool Echo on 4 January 2021.
"In September 2021, following a detailed evaluation of nine expressions of interest in investing in the site to bring a mix of new homes to Kirkby, the Council granted an exclusivity to Barratt Development and David Wilson Homes to allow them to carry out investigations on the land to understand all ground conditions.
"These investigations will be used to work up plans which can then be used to consult with local residents.
"This decision to award the exclusivity agreement was publicised through Knowsley Council’s news site and social media channels at the time.
“Once Barratt Developments and David Wilson Homes have a clear understanding of the site conditions and have developed their draft proposals, they will arrange a consultation exercise to engage with local residents and seek their views.
"Subject to views of the Council and local residents, a full planning application would still be required to be submitted and agreed before any development could take place. Any such consultation will be promoted by the housing developers and the Council.
“If and when a planning application is received by the Council, it will also be the subject of further formal public consultation, providing local residents with a further opportunity to share their comments.
"Currently, there has been no detailed consultation with residents because neither the Council, nor the housing developers, have any detailed plans to share.
“When considering planning applications for large developments, the Council always takes into account the likely impacts on local infrastructure, which includes open spaces, schools, health facilities, the local roads, and the need for accessible bus stops and cycleways.
"This is a vital part of the planning application process in deciding whether a proposed development is acceptable.”
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