A SIX house development near to a planned cycle lane described as being like “Marmite” has been given the go ahead. One councillor said they “don’t know what it looks like really” while another said they thought it was “modern.”
An application had been brought to Wirral Council’s planning committee by Sukan Shah and Aylward Town Planning to convert the former Jacksons Furniture store on 100 to 116 St Paul’s Road in Seacombe. There had previously been plans to convert it into a 36 bed house of multiple occupation (HMO) but this was rejected by councillors.
This time, the application was for six family homes with conditions added so they could not be turned into HMOs in the future. It’s planned the homes will be sold off individually after they are built and £20,000 will go towards a planned cycle lane from Birkenhead to Liscard.
The building has remained derelict and according to a previous report, “there was an arson attack on the building which caused significant damage to the roof structure, floors, and walls” on January 31, 2022. This has left the building unsafe and needing to be demolished.
Concerns were raised by Seacombe councillor Paul Stuart on behalf of nearby residents about the proposal including its lack of parking, issues this could cause on streets nearby, and safety concerns at a local school. Concerns were raised about potential HMOs.
However, Mark Aylward speaking for the applicant said the building would provide six family homes with private gardens with fewer houses than were previously there. He said the current buildings were an “eyesore” and this would be “the best opportunity to improve living conditions for existing residents.”
Councillors praised the scheme for helping provide housing in the area, solve the problem of having a derelict building on a main road, and help fund the cycle lane. However, Cllr Andrew Gardner said it was ironic £20,000 would be going towards the new lane but complaints were raised about a lack of parking.
It was also pointed out there was low car ownership in the area, around 50%, though the money from the development could be used towards providing some parking in the area or improve the street around the route.
Referring to the design of the scheme, Cllr Stuart Kelly said: “It’s a Marmite thing possibly. I’m comfortable enough with it and I do not see any sort of jarring effect and the nature of the area is mixed.”
Councillors at the meeting also rejected plans for a new convenience store after nearly 400 people signed petitions against the plans. The applicants said it would be “a viable and productive use of the building” with controlled opening hours.
However, there were fears it would make antisocial behaviour worse. Laura Brough said people “get pestered by people to buy vapes and alcohol and to go into the shop for them” and had to fireproof her letter box because of concerns. She said the playspace that had previously existed in the building was valued as “we have got nothing else like it in the area.”
She said: “We are not short of places selling alcohol but the more alcohol that there is in the area, the worse it gets,” adding: “We are trying to make life better and this wouldn’t make life better.”
Councillors agreed. Cllr Steve Foulkes said he had twice seen “a gang on bikes” when visiting the area. Though councillors said the new shop could create another local shop for people to use, it was rejected seven two because of the impact another alcohol store could have on the area.
A retrospective application for a function room at the Poulton Victoria Football Ground was approved.
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