Press Release Sent out 8th January

Planning Application – Leverhulme Estates APP/20/01665, Care Village Thornton Hough

Leverhulme Estates has submitted an amended application to Wirral Council, following our successful campaign to have a previous one refused in 2019.  

As a community we find ourselves once again trying to ensure we do not see another area of special landscape value, a conservation area and greenbelt turned into yet another building site.

This time the application is for a reduced development although the total site area indicated is exactly the same as previously, presumably leaving room for additional applications should this be successful.

The last application had a majority of land used for residential units making a closed care village with a care home and various facilities connected.  This time the application is for the care home, dementia care unit and other facilities. Such facilities are already approved on the Wirral Waters development. 

The site is Hill Top Farm,  right next door to the Primary School (which is graded OFSTED outstanding),  sited on the brow of the hill, on the right, as you enter the village close to the Seven Stars pub and busy crossroads.  As you approach the village this development would be the first thing you would see clearly effecting the openness of the green belt and of the conservation area.

We all appreciate that business is business,  our community has many farms, liveries and a number of hospitality venues all of which have applied for expansion or development over the years and a majority have been fully supported by the community.  In this case, it is not expansion or diversification it is a complete redevelopment of a site that is fully active and operative with a number of tenants.  None of the buildings are in danger or disused, the field is used for crops.  This location has been chosen purely to make the developed units or care rooms more expensive to sell.  Leverhulme Estates owns a huge amount of land on Wirral in many communities, some of whom would actually benefit from a development such as this. 

If planning permission were to be granted this development would potentially increase the population of the heart of the village by at least 36% bringing with it associated difficulties to infrastructure.   

The closing date for comments is the 29th January. 

Please see our website for developments thctrust.co.uk 

Background:

Thornton Hough Community Trust Ltd is a charity established in 1999 just prior to the death of the last Lord Leverhulme , it was created in conjunction with his Lordship to preserve and enhance his legacy of the model village of Thornton Hough.  The Trust now finds itself embarking on protecting that legacy with more and more developments encroaching into the heart of the village.

Recently a housing development was approved for eight luxurious, but out of character, houses to be built.   This was approved by the planning committee without a site visit,  they stated the openness of the green belt would not be affected.  Now they are built they can be seen from all aspects of the village and fields beyond affecting the openness for ever.

As a nation we should be looking to protect our beautiful countryside for all to use,  ensuring only sympathetic and necessary projects are approved especially while there are brown field sites needing development. 

For further information please contact Geoff Dale, Chairman Geoff@thctrust.co.uk