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 up for consideration at a Wirral Council planning meeting on November 10.
One application has been put forward by Wirral Council for 249 homes and another by Riverside Park Ltd for 217 homes - both near Eastham Country Park.
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The applications are part of wider plans to regenerate Bromborough with separate proposals for up to 1 ,200 homes at a site further along the Mersey.
No objections were received for the application by Wirral Council according to a report after 45 notifications were sent out to neighbouring 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 had to be secured and Wirral Wildlife said they were concerned about potential impacts on bats nearby, increased visitors to Eastham Woods, and requested a 50m buffer between the housing and the woods. The developable area was later reduced to meet sustainable drainage requirements.
The site is in an industrial area having previously been used as an underground oil storage facility by the Ministry of Defence.
The application said the homes “seek to provide an attractive well-designed residential development appropriate to its setting” with the houses being a mixture of two, three, and four bedroom homes.
It has been recommended for approval by council officers as “the scheme has been brought forward together with the adjacent Riverside Park site, in a comprehensive manner with associated infrastructure, to create a new residential community of up to 466 dwellings” with the adjacent Riverside Park site.
The report argues it is in line with the council’s draft local plan and that impacts on nearby roads is considered to be “acceptable” with “good access to local services for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.”
The application by Riverside Park Ltd for 217 homes sits directly to the east of the council’s application with both sites intended to be connected by a road.
On the site currently are three office buildings, parking and roads with land on the east of the site becoming scrub land.
Riverside argue the site is in a sustainable location with good transport links and brings forward a brownfield site for housing development, something that is prioritised under the draft Local Plan.
The houses will also be a mix of one-bedroom apartments and five-bedroom family homes which Riverside argue meets “the diverse needs of the surrounding area.”
However the plans also received some criticism from Wirral Wildlife as well as Cllr Phil Gilchrist.
Cllr Gilchrist said: “There should be an area of natural planting of native species as a buffer zone around the site. Whilst the northern boundary does take account of the pipelines/ services the southern and eastern boundaries need to take account of the neighbouring woodlands.
“The applicant needs to be prepared to lose some of the homes in those areas to provide for the buffer zone. There appear to be no visual impressions of the apartment buildings facing the road to the north of the site.”
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