A proposal for almost 12,000 homes has been approved, concluding a 24-year-long saga in Wirral. The Local Plan, which Wirral Council has been developing for years, is thought to be the first brownfield-only strategy to receive approval nationwide.
This implies that no green belt areas, which make up about half of the Wirral, will be allocated for development under the plan, which extends until 2040. The plan encompasses 11,814 homes, nearly 2,600 below the minimum requirement.
However, this figure is based on the anticipation that housing delivery will escalate as regeneration schemes take off. The plan was submitted for government inspection in 2022 and underwent several weeks of hearings throughout 2023.
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In 2024, the local authority was instructed to make several amendments to the plan for it to gain approval from planning inspectors. These changes have now been finalised and approved, with planning inspectors Tom Bristow and Mike Worden giving the final sign-off.
This comes despite developers' concerns that nearly £1bn of public funding would be required to kickstart the council's plans.
The Local Plan, set to replace Wirral Council's planning policy implemented in 2000, has finally received a green light from inspectors, concluding a protracted episode that has loomed over the council. In 2019, the government considered intervening due to the council's failure to produce an updated plan, criticising it for not planning and delivering the necessary homes since its policies were outdated as of 2001.
Despite the government revising housing targets for the borough to over 1,600 homes annually—significantly higher than those proposed in the local plan—the plan was evaluated based on the policies active in 2021. The Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government has been contacted for comments on how the Wirral's Local Plan will be reconciled with national objectives to construct 1.5 million homes across the country.
Inspectors Mr Bristow and Worden, in their comprehensive 92-page report, approved several amendments essential for the plan's execution. They concurred with the council's prioritisation of residential construction over employment development, noting Wirral's position as having the lowest job density within the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
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Although Wirral's population increased by only 400 individuals from 2011 to 2021, the inspectors viewed this stagnation as a negative indicator for a borough grappling with "a challenging legacy of deindustrialisation" and a stark 11-year life expectancy gap between its eastern and western areas. Over the decade, the demographic aged, with "younger, economically active people leaving Wirral to seek opportunities elsewhere."
The lack of new housing would essentially "would effectively cast those unsustainable trends forward," they warned. Projections from 2014 suggested that the number of working individuals in Wirral was expected to decrease by 6,660 between 2021 and 2037.
In their letter, the inspectors stated: "the focus of the Plan is justified in respect of regeneration and intensification around the east of the Borough, where de-industrialisation has left a legacy of larger sites."
However, if the council fails to deliver, it will need to consider an early review, with the inspectors adding: "If larger allocations are delayed, meeting the overall housing need will become challenging."
Following the verdict allowing the plan to be approved, Cllr Paul Stuart, the leader of Wirral Council, said: "We are ready to adopt our pioneering brownfield-only Local Plan. The Planning Inspectorate's approval validates our vision. The Labour group has called for an extraordinary council meeting to adopt this plan immediately.
"Focusing on brownfield sites can protect our Green Belt while driving regeneration in areas needing investment. This plan will provide modern homes and skilled jobs, ensuring a brighter future for all residents."
Cllr Jeff Green, Leader of Wirral's Conservatives, expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to the plan's delivery, adding: "This is good news and shows what can be done when residents and the Council work together. The plans by previous Labour Leaders to build on our Green Belt have finally been ditched."
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