Welcome

Welcome to the community website introducing Mac Mic Strategic Land’s proposals for new homes off Lambshear Lane. On this website you can find details about Mac Mic Strategic Land's proposals for around 450 new homes at their site off Lambshear Lane. The website will be updated as the proposals progress over the coming weeks as we prepare to submit an outline planning application to Sefton Borough Council.

You can provide feedback online by completing our online feedback form, or registering for updates using the contact details provided.

Where is the site?

The site is located to the north of Lambshear Lane, bordered by Moss Lane to the north, Sandy Lane Park to the west and Liverpool Road to the southeast.

Lambshear Lane site location (roughly indicated by red outline)

A safeguarded site

A government planning inspector recommended that the site be removed from the Green Belt in the 2017 Sefton Local Plan for longer-term development needs. This granted the site safeguarded status until a future Local Plan allocated it for housing. However, with the recent change to way the government calculates the number of homes each local authority must provide, Sefton can no longer meet its housing needs. We believe there is no longer any justification to wait for a new Local Plan. Mac Mic is now looking to bring the site forward so that it can contribute towards the growing housing need in the area. 

Mac Mic Strategic Land

Mac Mic Strategic Land is a division of Mac Mic Group, a fourth-generation, family-owned business and custodians of landholdings across the UK. Mac Mic Strategic Land are experts in the delivery and promotion of strategic land; for over 100 years they have delivered unrivalled quality and communities.

Working collaboratively with local communities and stakeholders, they progress sites through the planning process with healthy design at their heart, to create places where people want to live.

Why do we need more homes?

The Government has pledged to build 1.5 million homes across the country. Up and down the country local authorities are required to play their part, with sustainable places like Lydiate helping to meet the housing need.

Sefton Borough Council’s housing target has increased to 1,368 homes per year (a 136% increase). Safeguarded sites like Lambshear Lane, which have already been recognised for the contribution they can make, present an ideal solution to helping meet this target.

Why this site?

The site provides a sustainable, and logical, solution to contribute towards the borough’s housing needs.

With a clearly defined boundary, the site immediately adjoins existing homes and local amenities, meaning that it can provide a logical in-fill extension to Lydiate, without encroaching into the wider open area.

Placing nature at the heart of the proposals 

Nature and reconnecting the site to the wider landscape is at the heart of the emerging proposals.

The site benefits from existing woodlands, ponds, trees and hedgerows. The proposals use these features to shape where the new homes should go.

There will be a variety of new open spaces, including:

• a nature park,
• community allotments and orchard
• play areas
• wildflower meadows

Connecting these new spaces will be green corridors, with new trees and hedgerows, and a mix of formal and wild planting.

New footpaths will create links through the site to the existing public right of way along Sandy Lane Park, and to the wider countryside to the north.

New homes for all 

We are preparing an outline planning application, which means that the details of the proposed homes will be determined at a later stage - for example the design and size of the homes.

What we do know is that we believe the site should provide homes for different needs: from first-time buyers to family homes, and homes for older living.

30% of the new homes will also be affordable - in-line with Sefton Borough Council’s policy.

The Local Centre 

What do we mean by a local centre? The Lydiate Neighbourhood Plan sets out that any future development of the site should be about more than just homes and should create a community for the benefit of new and existing residents.

As such, we have identified an area along Lambshear Lane that we feel could become a local centre. This could contain a small local shop, or other community facilities.

We would love to hear what you would like to see in this space.

Highways and transport 

We are proposing two vehicular access points to the site from Liverpool Road, which will serve the whole of the development. Additional pedestrian links could be created to Sandy Lane Park and Moss Lane.

Until the final mix of new homes is confirmed, we do not know the exact number of parking spaces that will be provided. For example, a three-bedroom property will mean more parking spaces compared to smaller properties. It is envisaged though that the bulk of resident parking will be provided off-street, with visitor parking spaces dotted throughout the site.

To encourage sustainable travel, the proposals will include cycle parking spaces as well as electric vehicle charging points. The site also benefits from nearby bus routes.

General

Why are you proposing Lambshear Lane for new homes?

Sefton Borough Council’s housing target has increased to 1,368 new homes per year. The Lambshear Lane site provides a sustainable, and logical, solution to contribute towards the borough’s housing needs.

With a clearly defined boundary, the site immediately adjoins existing homes and local amenities, meaning that it can provide a logical in-fill extension to Lydiate, without encroaching too far into the wider open area.

How large is the site?

The site, as defined by the red line boundary, is approximately 20 hectares. This is roughly equivalent to 28 football pitches.

Is the site allocated for new homes in the Local Plan?

A government planning inspector recommended that the site be removed from the Green Belt in the 2017 Sefton Local Plan for longer-term development needs. This gave the site safeguarded status until a future Local Plan allocated it for housing. However, with the recent change to way the government calculates the number of homes each local authority must provide, Sefton can no longer meet its housing needs, and we feel that there is no longer any justification to wait for a new Local Plan.

Planning Application

What is an outline planning application?

We are preparing to submit an outline planning application for the site. This means that the application will confirm the parameters of the proposals, such as the number of homes, amount of community open spaces and other uses. The road access will also be detailed. The local authority will confirm whether these are acceptable or not through granting or refusing the planning application.

Should the outline planning application be granted permission, details such as the design of the new homes, and the type of houses will be confirmed through later planning applications, known as Reserved Matters.

When will you be submitting the planning application?

We are in the process of preparing the proposals, of which this consultation process is also a part. It is then intention to submit an outline planning application this Spring.

Who will decide the planning application?

The application will be considered and decided by Sefton Borough Council.

Is this the only opportunity to have a say on the proposals?

No, there will be further consultation undertaken on the proposals. When the application is submitted, Sefton Borough Council will also undertake their own consultation. This website will also be updated as the proposals progress.

The Proposals

What are you proposing?

We are proposing to create a sustainable neighbourhood for Lydiate, including:

• Around 450 new homes, including for later living
• A new nature park and children’s play areas
• A community orchard and allotments
• A local centre with non-residential uses i.e. a convenience store

Who will build the new homes?

Mac Mic Strategic Land will not deliver the new homes. We promote sites for development and prepare the outline planning applications. If outline planning consent is granted we then help secure a housebuilder who will then buy the site and take the project to the next stage including reserve matters applications and eventually building the new homes.

Will there be affordable homes?

Yes, we are proposing a policy-compliant level of affordable housing which is 30%.

What do you mean by later living homes?

Nearly one in four people in Sefton are 65+ years old, with 4 times as many adults who are at least 85 years old in comparison to the national profile. There is therefore a local need in the borough for homes specifically designed with later living in mind. This could be extra-care style homes or simply homes that are designed to meet the needs of those in retirement such as bungalows that can easily adapt to meet the occupants’ changing needs. We are therefore proposing a proportion of the new homes to help contribute towards this need. Whether these are specific extra care homes will depend on whether there is an interest from a potential operator.

What do you mean by a ‘local centre’?

The Lydiate Neighbourhood Plan sets out its aspiration for the development of the site to provide more than just homes for the benefit of new and existing residents.

As such, we have identified an area along Lambshear Lane that we feel could become a local centre. This could contain a small local shop, or other community facilities.

Why can’t we see what the homes will look like? 

As this is an outline planning application we do not yet know what the overall design approach to the new homes, or the type of homes, will be. This will depend on who takes on the site to develop the proposals for the next stage.

Will local services and amenities be able to cope with more homes?

Lydiate and Maghull are well-served by local services and amenities. The proposals for Lambshear Lane will also add more community facilities such as the community orchard and allotments, nature park, children’s play areas and improved connectivity and cycle routes connecting the site to the wider area.

In addition, with larger developments the developers are requested to make financial contributions – known as S106 contributions. These financial contributions are set according to requests from statutory stakeholders such as highways or the education authority. These funds are then used to contribute towards either new services or improving existing – for example enlarging an existing school or improving an existing play area. It is not yet known at this stage what S106 contributions will be requested.

Have you looked at the ecological and biodiversity impacts?

As part of developing the emerging proposals the project team will be undertaking many different surveys and assessments, including those that assess the current ecology and biodiversity of the site. This is currently ongoing.

There is also a national requirement for all developments to demonstrate a Biodiversity Net Gain of 10% on development sites. The intention is for at least 10% net gain to be achieved within the site through creating new habitats within the proposed open spaces, such as such as wildflower meadows, hedgerows and tree planting. 

How will the proposals impact existing neighbouring properties?

There are a few existing homes that directly border the site, but these are limited. The layout of the new site is being designed sensitively to minimise impact on these existing properties, whilst also ensuring the new homes are integrated into the wider area.

How will the proposals impact Sandy Lane Park and the Public Right of Way?

There will be no direct impact on Sandy Lane Park which sits outside the site area. But there is the opportunity to create footpath inks to the park.

What will happen to the existing trees, hedges and ponds on the site?

There are existing hedgerows around the site boundary as well as pockets of trees on the site, including an area of woodland along Lambshear Lane. This woodland area will be retained, alongside many other existing trees and ponds. It is likely that some trees will need to be removed, but the proposals include introducing many more new trees throughout the development.

What improvements will be made to the existing transport network?

The proposals will create new cycle and pedestrian links, connecting the site to the existing public transport network as well as the surrounding area.

As part of the planning application a Transport Assessment is being undertaken which includes surveying the local roads and key junctions to understand how the proposed new homes will impact the existing road network. A Transport Statement will be submitted with the planning application which will set out the survey findings and include recommended mitigation measures, if they are deemed necessary.

How will this proposal benefit the residents of Lydiate?

The proposals include many benefits for the existing Lydiate community, including new community facilities and public open space. It will also provide more homes, including affordable, which are needed in the Lydiate area.

Sorry, feedback submissions have closed

This website will be updated as the proposal progress and upon the submission of the planning application. 

If you would like to be kept updated on the progress of the proposals and the planning application, please use the Get in Touch form below, or contact us using the contact details provided.

By contacting us directly with your feedback, you are acknowledging that the information you provide can be used by Planning and Communications Potential Ltd for the purposes of the consultation exercise. Your comments may be shared with Mac Mic Group and Sefton Borough Council, but please be assured that your personal details will not be passed on to any third parties. If you wish to do so, you have the right to withdraw consent for your data to be used.
Please email [email protected] or call 01423 642 119.