A SENIOR councillor said the recent refusal of controversial plans for homes which would have included an access road on safeguarded land demonstrates the importance of having a "robust Local Plan". 

Proposals for 99 houses, submitted by Wain Homes for land west of Mill Lane, on the edge of Newton-le-Willows, were rejected unanimously by St Helens Council's planning committee last Tuesday (December 6). 

READ > Council decides on controversial plans for houses on former green belt

Part of the proposed site had been removed from the green belt under the Local Plan but the northern part, where an access and emergency link road was proposed, was safeguarded land.

Planning officer Daley Parsoange had recommended refusal of the application to the committee and said they were in conflict” with planning policy.

Committee member Cllr Seve Gomez-Aspron was among those to have voted against the plans.

St Helens Star: Cllr Gomez-AspronCllr Gomez-Aspron (Image: St Helens Council)

After the hearing, Cllr Gomez-Aspron said to the Star: "The whole point of having a Local Plan that’s valid and legally sound is that the council knows where development is allocated between now and 2037.

"That helps planning for schools, transport and infrastructure. If you don’t have a Local Plan, then all land is up for grabs.

"This land on Mill Lane in Newton-le-Willows is not allocated within our local plan, and developing it compromises a safeguarded site for post-2037.

"The application was refused on policy grounds due to having a robust Local Plan."

St Helens Star: A graphic of the proposals for the land off Mill Lane which were refusedA graphic of the proposals for the land off Mill Lane which were refused (Image: Emery Planning (St Helens Council Planning Portal))

He added: "It wasn’t refused because we don’t need more houses in the borough. With 9,000 cases on the waiting list, we most certainly do need to build more houses.

"Almost 25 per cent of all houses built in the borough since 2003 have been built in Newton-le-Willows.

"The Local Plan ensures more even distribution across the borough so that no single place is overloaded. 

"The plan allocates when and where. And thanks to our valid Local Plan, all other open space in the borough is protected.

"This is a great example of why a valid plan is important.”