FIGURES projecting the number of Warrington homes will increase by 14,000 by 2041 are expected to be ‘much lower’ than necessary.

Household projections from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed the number of houses in England is estimated to increase by 17 per cent over 25 years, from 22.9 million in 2016 to 26.9 million in 2041.

The projected percentage change in the number of homes in Warrington between that period is 15.7 per cent.

The number of homes in the town totalled 89,075 in 2016 but is expected to rise to 103,092 over the next 23 years – an increase of 14,017.

There has been widespread public anger over the council’s local plan preferred development option, which proposed 24,000 new homes in the borough over the next 20 years, including 9,000 on the green belt.

Campaigners have been calling on the authority to scrap the proposed 24,000 homes figure and reduce it significantly.

However, the ONS says household projections ‘are not a prediction or forecast’ of how many houses should be built in the future and should be used as a ‘starting point’ for calculating the future housing needs of an area.

It adds that they show how many additional households would be created if the population of England keeps growing as it did between 2011 and 2016 – and keeps forming households as it did between 2001 and 2011.

The council said the projections are one of the ‘key inputs’ into the Government’s standard methodology for calculating an authority’s minimum housing requirement.

A spokesman added: “This is a minimum housing requirement and is the starting point for the local plan housing target calculation.

“In accordance with Government planning policy, the council must demonstrate that the housing target in its plan ensures sufficient homes for the number of jobs that will be created in the borough.

“It must also ensure that the housing target will enable the council to meet its need for affordable homes.

“The council will confirm the number of homes it considers are required to meet Warrington’s future needs when it publishes its draft local plan later this year.

“It should be stressed that the Government was aware that the new household projections were likely to result in a reduced housing requirement to a level much lower than they believe is necessary to meet the country’s overall housing need.

“As such, they are proposing to consult on an amended methodology in order to increase the level of housing supply.”