THE first signs of political opposition to council proposals to release swathes of green belt land for potential housing and employment developments emerged this week.

St Helens’ Liberal Democrat councillors and the Green party set out their objections to the potential changes to the borough’s Local Plan, which have sparked debate over whether open spaces need to be made available to regenerate the borough.

An eight-week public consultation on proposals to release land at 16 sites – which would cut St Helens’ green belt land from 65 to 56 per cent – begins on Monday (December 5).

The consultation comes as draft local plan documents state that there are insufficient suitable brownfield sites to accommodate the housing and employment land needed to meet targets between 2018 and 2033. 

Liberal Democrat councillors Theresa Sims and Michael Haw say the scale of the proposals is “not acceptable” and will “change the very character” of the area forever.

In a statement they said: “We are not anti-development per se, however, Eccleston has provided its fair share of housing in recent years, with the most recent example being the 262-home development on the former Triplex site, which has put local infrastructure under great strain.

“Our local schools, doctors, dentists and other key services are already massively oversubscribed, with many people having to travel outside of Eccleston for their children’s schooling or to see a GP. 

“Based on those facts, the idea that we as a local community can accommodate that level of housing development is simply not acceptable.”

They add: “While we appreciate that the council needs to provide extra housing, any new homes must be built on existing brownfield sites, of which there are many across St Helens.”

Eccleston ward councillor Michael Haw said the issue was generating strong feelings in the community, where 500 people attended public meetings.

According to a spokesman for St Helens Green Party, the proposals are “fundamentally flawed” and the green belt is “an asset for all citizens”.

However, senior Labour councillor John Fulham says St Helens must use green belt land or risk being left behind by nearby towns.

Plans for one site – Haydock Point, located to the north east of J23 of the M6 – have been announced by Peel Logistics.

A spokesman for Peel said the plans, which include up to 1.8 million sq ft of logistics-led employment space, would generate approximately 2,500 full-time jobs.

A public exhibition about Peel’s proposal takes place at Haydock Park Racecourse on Wednesday (December 7) from 3 to 8pm.

Neil Dickinson, chief operating officer at Peel Logistics, said: “The location and quality of Haydock Point make this a game-changing opportunity for St Helens to put itself on the logistics map.”