TWO new housing estates in Widnes have been approved by Halton Council, with a planning chief telling gathered objectors the time to object 'had passed' and the council now had ‘no choice’ but to approve them.

The first to get the green light at the meeting of the council’s development management committee at Runcorn Town Hall last night, was a scheme by Miller Homes for 328 properties on farmland to the north of Lunt’s Heath Road.

The second was an applications by Prospect Homes to demolish farm buildings and construct 99 homes on a nine-acre patch of farmland at South Lane.

It was standing room only at the start of the meeting with around two dozen objectors gathered to hear the deliberations, as well as teams representing the applicants.

Objector Phil Harper addressed the committee about both schemes. He said: “There is a shortage of local services and facilities and those existing are already under strain from the 1,000 dwellings added in the 10 years since 2019, this before the 1,000 more dwellings are added from planning applications in progress.

“Throughout the whole of what will be a 20-year period, Halton planning department has continued to insist no additional services or facilities are required in Farnworth.

"This does not reflect the lived experience of Farnworth residents , so we request the development management committee give due consideration to this commitment and the impact of these developments on the Farnworth community."

But objectors were told by committee member Cllr Bill Woolfall that both applications were on sites which had been designated for new housing in the council’s delivery and allocations local plan (DALP), a strategic document which outlines the borough’s planning priorities up to 2037 and which was approved last year by Full Council.

He said that the time to object to such plans was when that document was being put together, but that at the time ‘very few’ objections had been received from Farnworth residents.

He told objectors in the room: “We need to build houses and we don't want to build them in green field cloud. We don't have a choice.

"I think the objections should not be happening now, the objections should have taken place at the start of the local plan.”

In order for housing estates to be approved, they have to have a percentage of homes classed as ‘affordable’, which can include social rent, shared ownership or – in the case of the two approved new estates - with some of them having their sale price capped at £250,000.

But another planning chief, Cllr Chris Loftus, said: “Affordable housing to me is social housing. Until that is allowed by any government we will not have affordable housing.

“Where houses are costing £250,000 - the living wage does not give you opportunity to be able to buy a £250,000 house. The possibilities in this borough of (earning) more than the living wage is not very good.”