Application submitted for 258 homes on 900-home site

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey North West has submitted a reserved matters planning application for the delivery of 258 homes within the first phase of residential development at Moss Nook, St Helens.

The firm was selected by master developer Harworth Group as the preferred developer for the first phase at Sutton Road, St Helens and has now submitted proposals for a selection of two-, three- and four-bedroom houses to St Helens Borough Council.

The consultant team supporting the planning application for the scheme is planning and development consultancy Turley providing planning services, Eddisons as Highway consultant, and MPSL as the architect.

Moss Nook is a large, brownfield site located less than 2km from the centre of St Helens. Previous uses of the 95-acre site have included a colliery, chemical works, blockworks and a railway line.

St Helens Borough Council granted planning permission for up to 900 dwellings, a commercial area, open space and sports pitches at Moss Nook in May 2017.

The key design features include landscaping to the Sutton Road and Watery Lane frontages, as well as a distinctive tree-lined main spine road to serve the site, publicly accessible open space and areas for children’s play, alongside several footpath and cycleway connections to the wider area.

Vehicular access to the development will be from the new spine road, connecting to Sutton Road and Watery Lane.

Since then, the landowner, Harworth Group, has been undertaking site preparation and remediation works, paving the way for the development of this hugely important site.

The latest step in the scheme’s development was Harworth successfully securing a £2.05m grant from the Liverpool City Region’s Single Infrastructure Fund (SIF) to deliver the scheme’s spine road and associated landscaping improvements.

Taylor Wimpey’s vision is to create a sense of place by building an attractive housing development to meet local needs with distinctive character that will be valued by the community over the coming years.

Ian Harrison, land and planning director at Taylor Wimpey North West, said: “We were pleased to have been chosen as the preferred developer for the first phase of Moss Nook and are happy to work with Harworth and St Helens Borough Council to deliver much-needed new homes to St Helens.

“We’re delighted to be involved in bringing an important development forward and we’ve taken the time to develop proposals which we believe will deliver a thriving new community to the area.”