UPDATE 21st APRIL 2025:
We have reviewed the feedback received during our public engagement period and we are now providing this update to inform you about a key change to our proposals relating to our construction access arrangements.
Rather than taking construction access from the St James Avenue school accesses for the duration of the construction period, we are now proposing to only use this arrangement for a limited period of time at the start and end of the project (16 weeks and 12 weeks respectively). The main construction access for the new build and demolition phases (116 weeks) will instead be taken from an alternative temporary access on the A41. The temporary arrangement on the A41 will require a left-turn in and a left-turn out, with all traffic travelling north-bound on entering and exiting the site. This will avoid the need for temporary traffic lights, and speed surveys have shown us that there is no need for a reduction in the speed limit on the A41.
The St James Avenue access will be used to set the site up, undertake enabling works and construct the new A41 access at the outset of the construction period; and will also be used to install the new sports pitches and deconstruct the A41 access and internal haul road at the end of the construction period. When this access is in use, HGV numbers will be low, and they will only be used for construction deliveries between 9.15am and 2.45pm, avoiding school start and finish times, and avoiding rush hour periods. There will also be no HGV access on a Saturday morning (or indeed the rest of a weekend).
This revised approach will form the basis of our planning application in due course.
Furthermore, this week we have also submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening Report to Cheshire West and Chester Council, requesting a formal Screening Opinion as to whether the proposed development constitutes ‘EIA Development’ in the context of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (as amended) and therefore whether it requires a specific type of report known as an ‘Environmental Statement’ to be submitted with the planning application. This is a technical process which most residents are unlikely to be familiar with, but it will inform the planning application approach going forward.
The Screening Report that we have submitted demonstrates that in our view there will be no likely significant effects on the environment and therefore that no Environmental Statement is required with the planning application. The Council needs to consider this Report and come to their own view on this within 21 days of receiving our request. Irrespective of whether an Environmental Statement is ultimately required, it should be noted that a large number of technical reports across a range of environmental topics will nevertheless be submitted with the planning application for consideration by the Council.
The Screening Report will be a publicly available document and is based on the development scheme as it now stands, with the main change since the public engagement period being the construction access arrangements as detailed above.
Another notable change is that we have moved the relocated modular building away from the rear boundary of properties on St James Avenue.
Other changes that we have made will be further explained within the full planning application in due course, and responses will also be provided to all of the comments made during our public engagement period.
We will update this webpage again once a formal EIA Screening Opinion has been issued by the Council (which takes up to 21 days from our request being made).
