Revised plans submitted for £5m 35-unit housing project
Bolton-based developer and contractor Challenger Building Services has re-submitted a planning application seeking permission for a larger, 35-unit affordable housing scheme in Runcorn.
The company is requesting permission to replace an earlier approval, in November 2020, for a three storey apartment development with 32 or 33 apartments.
The revised planning application also includes 18 car parking spaces at the rear of the building on Irwell Lane, including three disabled and two electric vehicle spaces, together with a landscaped residents’ garden and external cycle storage unit.
If permission is granted the £5m scheme, designed by Falconer Chester Hall, will provide a mix of one- and two-bed affordable apartments targeting the over-55s. The project has been devised for local social landlord Housing 21.
Challenger managing director, Richard Hutchinson, said: “The local authority has already recognised the scheme’s value in regenerating a prominent brownfield site. We believe we can deliver more social value by re-adjusting our plans and have the full support of Housing 21.
“It’s a thoughtful and welcoming scheme, designed using the Building For Life 12 key and HAPPI principles. We are delighted with the final design and the way in which it enhances the existing streetscape.”
Mike Gore, director of Falconer Chester Hall, said: “The proposed development is on a prominent corner plot and its design has been influenced by existing contextual features.
“We have incorporated soldier courses above the windows and balconies that offer a rhythm to the elevation, whilst a carefully considered materials palette ensures the building will complement its surroundings.”
The application should be determined by delegated powers and Richard Hutchinson says he is hopeful that it will be determined “within a shortened period to facilitate delivery of much needed local housing”.
Other consultants on the scheme include SATPLAN (planning), Mode (transport planning), DEP Landscape Architecture (landscape design), Surety Fire Solutions (fire engineers) and Philip Wright Associates (structural engineers).
