Plans for what was believed to be the biggest community-led housing project in the UK has failed to get planning permission following an appeal.
The £33m development earmarked for the Leeds Liverpool canalside in Bootle was initially rejected by Sefton council in early 2021. The local authority cited an inadequate number of car parking spaces as one of the reasons for the rejection, but the developers, Safe Regeneration, pointed to the lower than average levels of car ownership in the area and made the decision to appeal.
Sefton Council also said there were “significant shortfalls” in the proposals due to the scheme’s “excessive density”. It was said this negatively impacted outdoor amenity space on offer to prospective residents.
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The canalside ‘neighbourhood’ promised new, affordable housing built along the banks of the canal and the creation of 110 new jobs. It was estimated it would contribute £3.8m annually to the local economy through its homes and proposed commercial units.
However Sefton Council’s refusal has been upheld by the Government planning inspectorate, who oversaw the case. Citing the reasoning for the refusal to be upheld, the planning inspectorate agreed that the development would not “would not provide acceptable living conditions for future residential occupants due to insufficient amount and quality of proposed outdoor amenity space.”
The inspectorate also sided with Sefton Council in stating that the community driven scheme would be an "over-development" which impacted the amount of outdoor amenity space. However the appeal concluded that the issues initially raised around highways and parking were not in fact a reason it should be refused.
The decision comes as a blow to Safe Regeneration who had hopes of developing the scheme in the heart of a community it had been working with for almost two decades. The organisation has been behind the Destination Bootle initiative which has sought to raise the profile of the area and create a new thriving community and neighbourhood, dispite being situated in one of the poorest wards in the country.
Safe Regeneration has previously been successful in setting up the Lock and Quay community pub which invests all its profits into local projects. The proposed development would have been situated on nearby land.
Brian Dawe, CEO of Safe Regeneration, said he wanted to give his “heartfelt thanks” to everyone who has supported Destination Bootle and the encompassing development, but vowed that “it’s definitely not over.”
He said: “We are deeply disappointed in the outcome of the appeal, but respect the Inspector’s decision. We are encouraged that the Inspector feels that most of the issues have been resolved, such as those around parking and highways. We feel we are very close to having a scheme that works for everyone; we must believe this can happen for Bootle.
“We have worked with our local community for over 10 years to create a place that people want to live in – a happy, healthy neighbourhood. We are hopeful of continuing to work with Sefton Council to bring the project to fruition, being the UK’s largest community-led development, right here in Bootle.
“It’s inevitable that such a complex development comes with challenges and delays, it’s important that the plans are absolutely right for the people of Bootle and beyond. We are currently exploring our options to progress the development and are confident that we can work with our local planning team to overcome the one remaining issue.”
Commenting on the appeal decision, Cllr Daren Veidman, Cabinet Member for Planning on Sefton Council said: “We welcome the decision of the Planning Inspectorate and are pleased that our judgement has been reaffirmed. When considering any planning application, regardless of size, the same level of diligence and scrutiny is applied in order to be able to act in the best interests of the communities we serve.
"In this particular application officers and members of the Planning Committee showed concern for a lack of private outdoor amenity space for future residents and a clear overdevelopment of the site in question. A decision to reject the application was therefore made and, following an appeal process, this decision remains upheld.
“We continue to work hard to ensure that the regeneration potential of Bootle, as well as other areas around Sefton, is recognised and can be achieved in a way which benefits everyone."
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