Taylor Wimpey is seeking outline consent for 160 homes in Hazel Grove, Stockport, on land currently designated Green Belt and in agricultural use. The proposal is being considered by the local area committee amid significant public opposition, with officers noting the borough’s weak housing land supply and unmet housing need as key planning factors.
Blackpool Council has approved its £4m Revoe Community Sports Village, while rejecting Cygnet Healthcare’s proposal to expand a mental health facility near the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. The council also deferred a decision on coastal defence works involving 17 rock groynes, pending further work with the RNLI on safety matters.
Castle Green Homes has appealed Flintshire County Council’s refusal of a 315-home scheme in Ewloe, arguing the committee’s reasons for rejection were unsupported and amounted to unreasonable behaviour. The developer is also seeking full costs and has submitted a revised application for 276 homes while the appeal is considered.
Peak Cluster, a proposed carbon capture and storage pipeline scheme, has asked Wirral Council for a licence to access council land for surveys ahead of any future planning application. The request will be considered by the council’s policy and resources committee, with officers noting that the applicant could otherwise pursue access through statutory powers if the project progresses to a nationally significant infrastructure project.
The housing minister has said the final list of new towns will be announced by the end of the year, after a delay to allow further review of consultation responses and strategic environmental assessments. The programme is intended to support large-scale new settlements and urban extensions, with an emphasis on high-quality design, placemaking and environmental mitigation.
Enabling works are due to begin soon on a proposed 1,715-place Category C prison near Leyland, following the appointment of a contractor reported to be Laing O’Rourke. The scheme has had a lengthy and contested planning history, including refusals by Chorley Council and the Planning Inspectorate before government approval in December 2024.
Centre for Cities has argued that English cities have significantly lower residential density around rail stations than comparable French and Japanese cities, and that this represents a major opportunity to increase housing supply. It recommends faster transfer of Network Rail land to mayoral city regions, alongside greater use of Mayoral Development Corporations and Mayoral Development Orders to accelerate station-area development.
Hallam Land Management has initiated the planning process for a large residential scheme near Crewe by seeking an Environmental Impact Assessment scoping opinion for land around Moss Lane, Leighton North. The indicative masterplan could accommodate up to 1,700 homes alongside provision for over-55s housing, a primary school, a local centre and ancillary retail.
Preston City Council’s planning team has accepted an alternative approach to meeting affordable housing requirements for a 443-home scheme in Cottam. The proposal treats the scheme alongside a neighbouring 100% affordable development, allowing the combined projects to meet the council’s 30% affordable housing target and removing a viability review mechanism that developers said could hinder funding.
Breck Homes and Northern Trust have lodged an appeal against St Helens Council’s refusal of a 52-home scheme at Parr, with an informal hearing scheduled for 14 October at the Town Hall. The original refusal cited Green Belt harm, policy conflicts, housing mix concerns, highway layout issues, and insufficient ecological and bat survey information.
Prospect Homes GB is seeking a screening opinion for a proposed 103-home scheme off Northway in Maghull, within Sefton Council’s area. The developer argues the 15.3-acre site is unlikely to require a full Environmental Impact Assessment, citing its relationship to existing urban infrastructure and the inclusion of drainage, ecology and biodiversity measures.
Harworth is progressing plans for a second phase of its West of Wingates industrial scheme in Bolton, with an EIA scoping request submitted and a hybrid planning application expected. The next phase could deliver up to 215,000 sq ft of industrial units on a 15-acre site, following approval and funding for the first phase.
