WIRRAL GREEN SPACE ALLIANCE MEETING with Alison McGovern MP, Matthew Patrick MP and Justin Madders MP.
On Friday 28th February 2025, members of the Wirral Green Space Alliance (WGSA) met with Alison McGovern MP (Birkenhead) and Mathew Patrick MP (Wirral West) in the Birkenhead Constituency Office. Later in the day we had a further, brief, meeting with Justin Madders MP (Ellesmere Pt and Bromborough) at his constituency office.
WGSA would like to thank the MPs for setting-up the meetings and recognising the positive part WGSA has played for many years in supporting the development and defence of Wirral's emerging Local Plan. From the tenor of the meetings and the agreement to keep up regular contact, we hope the MPs will surely agree that the meetings were both enlightening and constructive, with priorities and immediate actions agreed for all parties in order to maximise potential success.
The immediate priority was agreed to be getting the Local Plan 'over-the-line' and 'adopted' by the 'Deadline'. This would then enable the current Local Plan to become the Plan applying (until its first 'Review'). i.e. without any requirement to start, as soon as possible, a New Plan, one based upon the Government’s newer much increased housing targets.
WGSA stressed that implementation of the newer increased targets would lead to the planned 'Regeneration' of deprived areas and the underdeveloped Waterfront being put at risk. A New Plan based on the new targets would prevent reduction of the unacceptable, long-standing disparity across the Peninsula for yet another generation. Also, a New Plan based on the new targets could also lead to the development of swathes of Green Belt in an uncontrolled free-for-all of speculative planning applications. It was agreed that these risks must not materialise.
Wirral Council’s Local Plan was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) in November 2024 and the Council had expected that it would be “Adopted” by now. However, there appears to be some sort of “logjam” at PINS due, we are told, to “resource issues”
Each MP resolved to establish the true Deadline and consequences, and press for the quickest release of the PINS logjam and issuing of the Inspectors' Final Report, to allow the Council to agree to “Adopt” the Brownfield Only Local Plan. Clarification is essential as to whether the Deadline is the12th March as we have received conflicting reports from a number of respected sources regarding when the actual deadline is and what its implications are.
Whilst Wirral's emerging Local Plan is the most advanced Plan nationally, the MPs were made aware of actions which had delayed the Local Plan Examination stage. The MPs were urged to amend legislation to prevent Local Plan progress being so disrupted, delaying Adoption and the commencement of building-out of planned spatial strategies - the right homes in the right locations.
Related to this last point, WGSA pressed for the identification of 'Grey Belt' to be through a full Review and not upon case-by-case decisions. This was agreed as essential.
Whilst all agreed that 'Viability' and Low Land Values within the Regeneration areas were issues that need tackling we all agreed the need to focus on the potential that the Regeneration areas have. The potential for the creation of sustainable, balanced communities with a range of housing and tenure types (with necessary services/facilities and infrastructure), especially taking advantage of the spectacular Waterfront and Dockland environment and views, coupled with attractive 'Blue and Green Infrastructure' settings.
WGSA were encouraged to help lobby for the necessary Public Sector Funds and grants for regeneration, including lobbying the Metro Mayor / Liverpool City Region Homes England, The Deputy Prime Minister - Angela Rayner MP , Matthew Pennycook MP – Minister of State for Housing and Planning and more.
WGSA also raised the following issues:
· The New Towns Initiative and the New Towns Taskforce – the MPs were asked to clarify some initial Ministerial statements which said that a minimum of 10,000 homes was required for a New Town and this could not be included in any Local Plan housing targets. (i.e if true, this would preclude Birkenhead becoming a “New Town” within an Old Town)
· Both nationally and locally there was extensive failure to build-out sites already with Planning Consents. Developers have secured Planning Permission for 1.4million homes since 2007 and have not gone on to build them. Cherry-picking and land-banking is a factor leading to under-development of Brownfield sites, with Development of green field sites designed to maximise profit without an emphasis on producing numbers of homes. All agreed on the desirability of measures to help tackles these issues.
· We were informed that changes are afoot which should give new impetus to much needed Social Housing locally (as opposed to “Affordable” Housing beloved of the Developers and affordable to very few. There is also the impending 'Housing Strategy'. Time prevented more discussion but it was resolved to pick this up with other matters at the next meeting (to be arranged).
· A final discussion point concerned 'Empty Homes'. The new Regulations include Vacant Homes in the existing 'Housing Stock' total for calculating the new homes target. Worse still is the exclusion of all of Wirral's nationally exemplar Programme of 'Empty Homes Back into Use' counting towards Wirral's Local Plan Housing Delivery, despite over 200 long-term vacant properties being returned to truly affordable homes per annum for over a decade. WGSA was requested to forward its prepared note regarding this issue to the MPs.
All agreed that the meeting was positive and we intend to keep in regular contact to ensure the issued raised are tackled for the benefit of all Wirral Constituents.
We would also like to offer our sincere thanks to all the members of the public who have taken their time to contact their MPs over the last few weeks and months to also highlight WGSA’s concerns about the Local Plan, Regeneration and the Green Belt.