INSPECTORS have issued an update on Wirral’s Local Plan.

The Local Plan is a document that outlines where and how Wirral will meet future demand for housing, employment land and the infrastructure needed to support this, while also protecting its green spaces.

The draft Local Plan is designed to be “brownfield first” meaning new housing and other developments would be built on previously developed locations in order that green spaces and the Green Belt can be preserved.

The work on the Plan has taken place over several years by council officers and underwent detailed examination over a period of several weeks during 2023 by inspectors appointed by the Government.

The inspectors have now written to the council saying that the Plan as is currently stands is “unsound”.

This now means that the authority now needs to complete work on a number of changes – known as “main modifications” – to enable the Plan to be adopted.

Following the update, a spokesperson for Wirral Council said that plans for suggested modifications have already been submitted and published to make the Plan “sound".

Council leader Cllr Paul Stuart said: “This is fantastic news and testament to the incredibly hard work of the officers who have worked tirelessly to get the Plan to this stage.

“It is quite usual for inspectors to recommend change such as this to a draft Local Plan, and while there is some more work to be done and this is not to be underestimated, I can see that we are now very close to seeing a Local Plan which not only protects Wirral’s precious green belt but also underlies our ambitious and impressive regeneration programme.

“This is an important step forward for our Local Plan and its importance cannot be overstated. The Plan will bring real improvements and opportunities for everyone in the borough, underpinning economic growth, new homes, inward investment and jobs and overall greater prosperity for our residents and businesses.”

The note from the inspectors asks the council to continue to work up the modifications and take account of the detailed advice set out in the note. Officers are now assessing the implications of the advice and working on the required modifications which will take some time. Once the modifications are agreed with the Inspectors there will be a six week consultation period.

Commenting on the initial response by the independent inspectors to Wirral’s draft Local Plan, Councillor Jeff Green, Leader of Wirral’s Conservative Councillors, said: “It was always going be a tough job to come up with a word perfect Local Plan, after 18 years of inaction by the previous council administration. It’s only since 2019 that all parties have been able to work together to try to get this over the line, and to protect the Borough’s Green Belt.

“We’re all very appreciative of the work of the independent inspectors and the open and transparent way in which they conducted their hearings. Their letter this week confirms that some further work is needed to ensure it can deliver the ‘brownfield first’ policy.

“Thankfully, while we do this, developers and speculators will not be involved, and no Green Belt sites will be proposed for development in the final version of the Local Plan.”

Cllr. Jenny Johnson, who spoke at the public demonstration against building on Wirral’s Green Belt, added: “Everyone in the Council is committed to having a Local Plan that protects our Green Belt, while redeveloping the run down, urban areas.

“Since we started work on it, there has been a big shift by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to replicate that approach nationally. In October, the Government backed our plans with £2.3 million from their Brownfield Land Release Fund.

“Speaking as a Wirral resident, my main worry, at this stage, is the latest pledge by Sir Keir Starmer that a future Labour Government will remove protections for Green Belt and allow more building on it.”

Co-Leader of Wirral's Green Party Group also gave his endorsement to the inspector's findings. 

Posting on X, Cllr Pat Cleary, wrote: "Positive inspector’s letter re Wirral Local Plan. No suggestion that green belt is required for housing. Endorses regeneration aims i.e. brownfield first. New overall housing target improves prospects for higher quality, more sustainable housing."