RESIDENTS have been alerted to plans to build up to 1,000 homes on green belt land in Stretton.

Wallace Land Investments has lodged a request to Warrington Borough Council for a ‘scoping opinion’ on its proposals for land next to the M56, off Stretton Road, Tarporley Road and Spark Hall Close.

This stage forms part of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and gives the council the chance to share its views on what information needs to be included in an environmental statement.

The scheme is planned to deliver between 600 and 1,000 homes over 40.5 hectares.

In a document submitted alongside the request – prepared by Geddes Consulting, on behalf of Wallace – it says the site falls in the ‘garden suburb’ proposed in the emerging local plan but is ‘capable of being implemented independently’.

The final scale of residential development will be determined following the master-planning and design process.

The developer says the scheme is expected to comprise a mix of two, three, four and five-bed market homes and include around 30 per cent of affordable homes, subject to discussions with the council.

It is proposed that access to the site will come from a new ‘distributor road’ planned to connect Tarporley Road and London Road to Stretton Road.

Government guidance states the objective of an EIA is to protect the environment by ensuring the authority makes a decision on an application ‘in the full knowledge of the likely significant effects’.

It also aims to ensure the public are given ‘early and effective’ opportunities to participate in the process.

Furthermore, the Government says authorities have a ‘well-established general responsibility’ to consider the environmental implications of developments.

However, it adds that an EIA should not be a ‘barrier to growth’.