A developer building hundreds of new properties in Southport wants permission to reduce the number of affordable homes available, after facing “major issues during construction”.
BDW Trading Limited will tonight ask councillors on Sefton Council’s Planning Committee to reduce the number of affordable homes on Blowick Moss, on Town Lane in Kew from 144 to 127.
The alternative could see part of the site become “mothballed” if it is not viable to continue building.
The ground conditions are described by the applicant as “the most difficult of any site they have had to deal with” in the UK.
In a letter to the council, Elaine Field, Principal Associate for Weightmans LLP, said: “BDW are wholly committed to delivering the Town Lane, Kew site in partnership with the Council and have invested heavily into mitigation measures in order to allow the development of the site to proceed.
“These measures have had serious financial implications and as a result my client is seeking a variation to some of the … obligations in order to allow BDW to continue with the development.”
Sefton Planning officials are recommended that councillors agree to the request when tonight’s meeting takes place.
In his report to the Committee, Sefton Chief Planning Officer Derek Mckenzie said: “The applicant has been faced with major issues during the construction of 759 homes as part of a wider residential led mixed use development, which has impacted on both the viability of the development and the delivery of the housing on the site.
“In light of the unforeseen works, mainly connected with a failed drainage solution necessitating a complete and costly redesign, the applicant considers that there is now a need to revisit the viability of the scheme to avoid the remainder of the scheme stalling or worse case, seeing the site being mothballed.
“The applicant is, therefore, proposing to amend the Section 106 legal agreement (S106) to provide a total of 127 affordable dwellings on site (instead of 144) through the delivery of the scheme.
“Taking all matters into consideration, it is considered that the Council should agree to the proposed amendments to the S106 agreement, other than the financial contribution towards the off site highway works, located outside of the Sefton Boundary in neighbouring West Lancashire.”
From the outset, the site was known to have very difficult ground conditions, owing to its location in an area comprising soft sand and silts (which have poor bearing capacity), together with its former use as a landfill. The significant site difficulties have resulted in the site taking almost 30 years to come forward for development.
During the construction process for the housing, the applicant identified major issues with respect to the ground conditions, which has resulted in costs escalating significantly above initial expectations. This has included failed drainage solutions on multiple occasions leading to significant issues with respect to the sewer installations; original engineer contractors going into administration (2018) requiring a third party consultant to design a new costly drainage solution; significant remedial works; additional abnormal costs including the need for a pump station, electrical sub stations, service diversion, cart away and piling.
The ground conditions are described by the applicant as “the most difficult of any site they have had to deal with nationally” and their onsite costs are said to be “of a level not experienced by the company on other sites”.
As it stands, it is understood that 312 market houses have to date been completed on site with 55 affordable dwellings, with a further 92 dwellings having started but not finished. Overall, 459 dwellings have therefore either been completed or construction has started, leaving 300 to be commenced. It is understood that the applicant has completed Phase 1 and 3 of the residential development and has now started on all phases but one (that being phase 8).
The care home (to be provided by Priory Asset Management), which is not affected by these technical problems due to it being largely an institutional building, has yet to commence on site, whilst the business park (specifically the ‘North East Quadrant’ controlled by Wilson Bowden Developments) has also stalled.
The developer was also due to make a number of financial contributions to improve the local area as a result of building the scheme, which they are now asking to be waived.
They include £10,000 to improve Kew roundabout, £25,000 to provide safety improvements to the junction of Birkdale Cop and Heathey Lane, and circa £170,000 to meet the need for additional school places in Kew Ward and Norwood wards as a result of the new homes.
Lancashire County Council objects to the proposed loss of a financial contribution of £25,000 to provide safety improvements to the junction of Birkdale Cop and Heathey Lane.
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrown@gmail.com
