Consultation to begin in the New Year over fresh plans for major new Penwortham housing and supermarket development

More than a year after Trafford Housing Trust made an application for 301 homes and a 13,000 sqft Lidl on the former Vernon Carus mill site off Factory Lane, as well as 29 affordable homes on the former Sumpter Horse pub site off Leyland Road, residents will get their say on the scheme.

But a raft of major changes have been made to the application, including reducing housing numbers to 326 from 330, changes to the site-wide drainage strategy, and changing the layout on both the mill and pub sites to provide policy-compliant levels of car parking for all homes proposed, as well as an additional 20 spaces on the Sumpter Horse site to provide for existing homes on Leyland Road affected by the double yellow lining.

>>>Click here to read how the new plans differ from what was wanted a year ago.

According to documents submitted by the Trust, the redesign would now deliver:

- Increased parking provision for existing residents on Leyland Road, within a parking court on the Sumpter Horse site;

- Access to the Penwortham Mills site via the Cross Borough Link Road rather than through the Sumpter Horse site;

- A wider mix of homes including a high provision of two-bed homes to allow an entry level home for people on lower incomes.

- Delivery of public open space and landscaping upgrading to the reservoir edge;

- Improved acoustic screening to the houses on the Sumpter Horse site, and to the south of the Penwortham Mills Site adjacent to the proposed food store.

Type of housing

The design of housing would be modern, but "sympathetic to local character", located to maximise the views of the reservoir and new public open space to be created.

The supermarket would be built at the Cross Borough Link Road Gateway, and the homes would be for a variety of tenures with around 55 per cent being for sale on the open market, and the remainder being a mix of Affordable Rent (80 oer cent of market rent) and Shared Ownership.

It is understood that the houses would be built in phases.

The Trust has not been available for comment when approached on several occasions by the Post.

A statement provided to South Ribble Borough Council states: "The updated scheme will create a new high quality, sustainable and locally distinctive neighbourhood of homes, a new retail food store and open spaces set within a walkable network of streets and lanes."

It continues: "The new neighbourhoods will be built partly in replacement of unsightly and vacant previously developed land, hardstanding and car park areas at the Sumpter Horse site upon Leyland Road and at the site of the demolished former Penwortham Mill factory and associated redundant buildings and structures at Factory Lane as an asset and positive contribution to Penwortham."

Bovis Homes secured permission for 385 properties on the proposed estate back in 2017, but Trafford Housing Trust acquired the site in 2019.