Residents of Cronton are bracing for a planning battle as Taylor Wimpey appeals against the refusal of its 350-home scheme on Chapel Lane. Sue Fealey, who lives on the lane and leads the Cronton Action Group, said the historic village would “be a town soon” if the development goes ahead.
Halton Council approved the housing element of the application in 2022 after what Ms Fealey said were around 700 letters of opposition. But the project stalled because Knowsley Council refused permission for an access road running through its area. Taylor Wimpey has now lodged an appeal, arguing the application was refused for a “single reason, contrary to the planning officer’s recommendation and in circumstances where there was no objection from the highway authority”.
Highway safety warning
Ms Fealey said Knowsley councillors visited Chapel Lane and decided that cars belonging to 350 homes would create a safety issue. She described the lane as so narrow that pedestrians’ clothes move when vehicles pass, with no pavement on one side and pavements too narrow for two wheelchairs to pass.
She said: “When it was rejected last time, everybody was just so happy, because we’ve got a lot of older people in the village, we’ve got disabled people who use that lane. That road is so narrow that when you’re walking down, if a car goes past you fast, your clothes move. The pavement is that narrow that you can’t get two wheelchairs past each other, you can’t get a wheelchair and a pram past each other, and there’s no pavement on the other side, so they’ve got to go into the road to get past.”
Developer stands by access plan
Taylor Wimpey, however, argues it was not told why its proposals were refused other than that they would have an unacceptable impact on highway safety. The developer said: “The site is sustainably located in terms of access and connectivity to local amenities and facilities by both walking and cycling, nearby bus stops and a train station allow for the opportunity to utilise sustainable methods of transport.”
The company said traffic levels have fallen by an average of 10% since 2022 and that there is no direct correlation between the number of cars and the number of collisions. It added: “The proposed Chapel Lane access has been shown to work comfortably within its capacity with the forecast traffic flows, and meets current design standards in terms of width, radii, swept path movements and junction visibilities.”
Ms Fealey described recent chaos on the lane, including drain-emptying wagons working near the traffic lights last Thursday at about 11.30am. She said a bus mounted the pavement to get past vehicles, while permanently parked cars and builders’ vans add to the congestion. She also noted several car crashes on the road in recent years.
Questioning the planned entrance
Ms Fealey said the development would end at Queensbury Way in Halton, a wide road with bus stops, pavements and a grass verge. She questioned why an existing roundabout opening there could not serve as the entrance instead of Chapel Lane, saying: “There is another way.”
She also criticised planning committee members for deciding based on maps rather than visiting the site, and said that when Knowsley councillors did visit, they rejected the application. She added: “I had councillors coming up to me saying: ‘I never realised how unsafe it would be’. We had councillors from areas like Kirkby who had never been to Cronton before then.”
Further housing pressure
In March, Bellway submitted outline plans to Knowsley Council for 120 homes on 10.5 acres north of Cronton Road. There are also proposals for 450 homes off Cronton Lane, where Ms Fealey said a field currently housing horses would become a turning point for school coaches. “It’s going to be concrete ground,” she said.
Ms Fealey warned that the village would lose its character and green belt if the schemes proceed. She said: “Cronton is going to be like a town soon if things carry on the way they are. We’re losing all our green belt. Once development is passed you never get that green belt back. It’s just so sad when you think of what the village looks like, the history, all the things that have gone on there over the years. It could all be wiped out by these housing developments.”
Appeal hearing set for September
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “We have submitted an appeal following Knowsley Council’s Planning Committee decision to refuse our planning application for Chapel Lane, Widnes, despite the recommendation for approval from the council’s planning officers. We believe that the allocated development site is sustainable and suitable for development, and would deliver much needed new homes alongside areas of green space for the local community. The appeal process is now underway and we will continue to engage with the council as appropriate.”
Taylor Wimpey has said the development would provide much-needed affordable housing and that the homes would be sustainable and eco-friendly. The appeal will be heard on September 22, and Ms Fealey and others are planning to speak in objection. She said: “We’re going to speak from the heart.”
