Eighty new houses in Halton recommended for green light

Council officers have backed plans for 80 new homes in Halton amid an ongoing major shortfall in new housing across the Lancaster & Morecambe District.

In recommending that plans for a new housing development on land near Low Road should go ahead, Lancaster City Council planners said there is a "continued fall" in new housing delivery.

A council report said they should be ensuring there are 685 new homes per annum until 2028/2029 - but only 196 new dwellings were completed for the period 2024/2025, including 12 which were a result of new student housing.

"This represents just 29 per cent of the annual dwelling requirement for that period, and this follows a similarly low level of completions in 2023/24," says the report.

It said that as of April 1 2025 "the outstanding commitment for the district stood at 2,179 dwellings (including student accommodation and older persons accommodation)".

The council's latest Housing Land Supply Statement (September 2025) said it "cannot demonstrate a five-years supply of housing sites and in fact is only able to demonstrate a 2.8 years’ worth of supply of housing" - a position described by government planning inspectors as "woeful".

"The provision of up to 80 dwellings to meet locally identified needs at a time when the council cannot demonstrate an adequate supply of housing, weighs substantially in favour of the development," says the report, published ahead of a planning committee meeting on Monday December 15.

The council has received 138 letters of objection to the Halton development plans, from the public. 

Developers Applethwaite Homes Ltd are seeking outline planning permission to build up to 80 homes with a new access road on 6.5 hectares of open fields south of Low Road on the edge of Halton village near Lancaster.

"The proposed development would deliver a range of high quality, high specification homes for the local community in a sustainable location," said a design and access statement submitted with the plans.

"The new homes would contribute to Lancaster City Council’s housing supply."

The original application proposed 90 new homes.

As part of the application, a new access road is proposed off Low Road as a priority-controlled junction and includes "off-site highway improvements works along Low Road".

The report says: "This comprises the relocation of the existing 30mph/national speed limit change and the associated road markings and signage to the east, provision of new uncontrolled pedestrian crossings across the site access and across Low Road, and a new pedestrian pavement along the southern side of Low Road to tie in with that located at the access road to Forest Heights.

"The site access road will extend southwards into the site before entering the western field to provide access into the proposed development area.

"The proposal includes the provision of affordable housing and on-site public open space, along with associated infrastructure, such as internal estate roads, servicing and the provision of a sustainable drainage scheme.

The report says that public objections, including from Halton-with-Aughton Parish Council, are on several grounds including that "the site is not allocated for development in the (council's) approved Local Plan", "there are alternative undeveloped allocated sites that could be utilised", "the proposal would extend the village boundary", "the views from Forest of Bowland National Landscape would be adversely affected" and "a number of accidents have occurred along Low Road including fatalities and serious injuries".

The council report says: "The application site is not allocated for housing, or any other specific land use.

"The whole of the site lies within the designated Countryside Area defined by the Lancaster District Local Plan, which defines the rural context of the district.

"The proposal will provide 40 per cent on-site affordable dwellings. The provision of both market and affordable housing attracts significant weight.

"Other benefits arising from the development include traffic calming measures, and footway and pedestrian crossing provision all of which will enhance the pedestrian environment along Low Road. The proposal also secures financial contributions towards the Lancaster Travel and Transport Infrastructure Strategy to facilitate improvements to the local highway network.

"The proposal also includes contributions to make off-site improvements to public open space facilities, along with the provision of new public open space infrastructure within the site itself, all of which benefits the wider community as well as future residents of the development.

"The proposal also secures a contribution towards the enhancement of education facilities, as well as providing notable landscaping, ecological and drainage schemes all of which can deliver enhancement to the site’s visual appearance, ecological value and its role with respect to improved flood risk mitigation.

"The applicant has demonstrated a safe and suitable access can be provided and the impacts of development traffic would not lead to safety concerns or have residual cumulative impacts that would be severe on the network.

"Subject to pre-commencement conditions, it has been demonstrated that there are options available to ensure the development can be drained sustainably and without causing a flood risk elsewhere.

"With mitigation, the impacts of the development on adjacent sensitive environments and protected species are considered acceptable."

Council officers recommended that planning permission be granted "following the satisfactory completion of a legal agreement within three months" of Monday's meeting and subject to conditions.

The planning regulatory committee, a group of elected councillors, are expected to make a final decision on whether to grant planning permission at the meeting, which starts at 10.30am at Morecambe Town Hall.

The plans are available to read in the planning section of the Lancaster City Counciul website lancaster.gov.uk - reference 23/01327/OUT