Former greenbelt land off Elton Head Road put back on the market

An outline planning application for up to 109 residential units on land off Elton Head Road was submitted to St Helens Council in December 2021.

Submitted by architects Cassidy + Ashton, on behalf of The Jones Partnership, the proposals claimed that the land should have been released from the green belt to support local housing demands.

However, the proposals sparked opposition from residents and eventually the application was withdrawn.

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The site has been designated as 'safeguarded housing land' by St Helens Council (Image: Zoopla)
As stated in St Helens Council's Local Plan in 2022, the land south of Elton Head Road and next to St John Vianney primary school has been designated as 'safeguarded housing land'.

This means that the land has been removed from the greenbelt in order to meet long term housing demands.

However, as the land is 'safeguarded' for the short term, this means that the site cannot be developed until after the duration of the current Local Plan, which runs up until 2037.

Information from the Local Plan states that planning permission on safeguarded sites will only be granted following a future Local Plan update, which evidences the need for additional land.

St Helens Council's Local Plan is a document that sets out a framework for growth and development across the borough, and looks to identify opportunities for housing, employment, and other developments.

The property listing states that the land has potential for future residential development (Image: Zoopla)
Despite the controversy of the previous planning application and the site being safeguarded until 2037, the land has been put back up for sale on Zoopla.

Managed by estate agent Legat Owen, the site was placed back on the market in June with a "non quoting" price, meaning that the price tag is not publicly available.

Information on the listing states that the land is a "potential residential development opportunity".

The site looks to be the latest parcel of land being made available for sale, as landowners look to take advantage of the homebuilding development market and local authority targets for new homes.