Houses plans at former Haydock Catholic Club site approved

A part-retrospective application proposing the residential development comprising four detached and four semi-detached houses at the former Haydock Catholic Club, on Church Road, was put forward during the summer.

The homes will have private driveways and on-site parking, plus associated informal landscaping.

The design and access statement said the site is free of any ‘mature trees’, but the existing building and some small areas of scrub at the site boundaries provide ‘potential roost features’ and nesting habitats for bats and small birds.

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But it stated that during a prescribed survey period no evidence of bats was found, and scrub clearance works have already taken place outside the nesting season as recommended in the bats and breeding birds report.

It added: “The applicant considers that the proposed development will provide a good example in the re-use of previously developed land, which will contribute towards the borough housing stock without harming local residential amenity or highway safety.

“In particular the houses will be classed as affordable housing. Care has been taken to ensure this development reflects its position in the locality, along with the existing residential arrangements on all sides of the site.

“As such, the applicant feels that there are no material planning reasons why this application should not be approved, subject to any reasonable conditions associated with this type of development.”

In a report recommending approval for the application, case officer Alex Ball concluded: "The benefits of the scheme would include the redevelopment of a vacant brownfield site in the urban area site to provide eight dwellings, providing a satisfactory living environment for future occupiers.

"The development would contribute towards house figures within the borough of St Helens as required by local and national planning policy."

Formal permission was granted to the plans.