AN office block that has stood in Grappenhall for more than 40 years is being planned for demolition.

The offices have been on the Knutsford Road site since 1978, but fell into disuse in July 2020.

Now, a planning application has been submitted for the block's demolition in order to accommodate a new housing development.

The site was formerly used as Cruden's Warrington offices, but - according to planning documents - it ceased to be their offices in the summer of 2020.

Plans submitted to Warrington Borough Council include the demolition of the current office complex in order to build 10 new homes on the site.

Of those 10 homes, two will be 'affordable housing.'

Current planning policy dictates that 10 per cent of all new housing developments are earmarked as 'affordable housing' - this project includes two properties marked for 'affordable housing,' which means it exceeds the target.

Planning documents suggest that eight of the homes will have four bedrooms, with the two 'affordable' homes having three bedrooms.

Warrington Guardian: The current site has been out of use as an office building since July 2020The current site has been out of use as an office building since July 2020 (Image: Maps)

In order to accommodate the new development, plans show that 26 on-site parking spaces are to be axed, taking the total down from 57 spaces to 31.

However, in order to hit biodiversity targets and ensure the project does not have a detrimental impact on the environment, the development will bring a 'positive increase' in greenspace and a 'positive reduction' in built areas on the site.

This application is the latest in a long line of planned developments for the area.

In 2017 plans were submitted to demolish parts of the site in order to build housing, but the plans were withdrawn the following year.

There was an application in 2020 to demolish one of the properties on the current site in order to build a two-bedroom home, but this was rejected by the local planning authority the same year.

Warrington Guardian: A planning application was withdrawn by developers for the site in 2018A planning application was withdrawn by developers for the site in 2018 (Image: Supplied)

The developers say that they are guided by the following principles:

  • Create a high quality, attractive contemporary designed residential infill;
  • Sensitive to adjacent uses and complementary to the existing residential neighbourhood;
  • Offering a mix of housing types and tenures; 
  • Respecting the landscape character setting of the locality and retaining key assets with enhanced reinforcement (e.g. hedgerows, trees and valued habitats) to be integrated into the layout which will ensure a green landscape-led design; 
  • A development that will respect the identity of this part of Warrington and responds positively to the climate change agenda by promoting green buildings and maximising energy efficiency; 
  • Whilst minimising impact upon the openness of the Green Belt.

The application is currently under consideration by the planning committee at Warrington Borough Council.