Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council - Home Page

back to Contents

back to homepage

Policy EC4: Regional Investment Site - Kings Business Park

1. Kings Business Park meets the criteria for a Regional Investment Site and is considered to be suitable for employment uses which support the Region’s Target Economic Sectors.

2. Outline planning permission has been granted for the following uses:

- Business uses (Use Class B1);

- Suitable forms of industrial use (Use Class B2); and

- Hotel use (Use Class C1).

3. The Council will approve detailed applications for the development of the site for the above purposes, and for subsequent extensions, infilling or alterations, provided that the development would:

a) Provide a high quality of design and layout which reflects the status of the site; its landscape and ecological value; and its setting close to the Grade II Listed Building at Hazels House;

b) Not have a materially greater impact on the openness or purposes of the Green Belt than the existing approved development; and

c) Secure the long-term management and maintenance of any existing landscape features to be retained within the site.

Explanation EC4

6.28

Kings Business Park at Huyton is identified as a strategic regional site in the Regional (Economic) Strategy (2003) published by the North West Development Agency. Furthermore, the Council believes that it meets the criteria set out in the Regional Spatial Strategy to enable it to be identified as a Regional Investment Site. The site scores highly in terms of regeneration priorities and regional planning guidance criteria. It is a sustainable site, being a major previously developed site, accessible by public transport, close to housing, employment areas and supporting services and is well landscaped. It has good access via motorway and ‘A’ roads to rail freight terminals inside and outside of Knowsley and it is suitably located for international access from Liverpool and Manchester airports. The entire site has outline planning permission, with various phases either having been completed or having detailed planning permission. There are no impediments to the development of the rest of the site in terms of flooding, land condition and availability, ownership, infrastructure or capacity. There is easy access to Higher Education Institutes in Liverpool.

6.29

The site was occupied until the 1980s by the CF Mott Teacher Training College, and contained a number of very substantial buildings, which have subsequently been demolished. The development would incorporate a mix of business, hotel and industrial uses (the latter of which must be of a type which is appropriate to the environmental setting of the site and its proximity to residential properties). Conditions on the outline permission specify which plots may be used for which purposes.

6.30

A guiding principle behind the approved redevelopment of the site has been that the new business park should not have a materially greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt than the previous teacher training college. Other environmental constraints that will need to be taken into account include the need to preserve or enhance the setting of Hazels House (a grade II Listed Building) and the landscape within the site which includes a lake, natural grassland, woodland and trees which are covered by Tree Preservation Order. Part of the site is designated as a Site of Biological Interest.

Policy Links
Policy EC1	“Strategy for Provision of Employment Land”
Policy G1	“New Development in the Green Belt"
Policy DQ1	“Design Quality in New Development”
Policy DQ2	“Security in the built environment”
Policy T6	“Ensuring a choice of travel to serve new developments”
Policy T8	"Transport Assessments"
Policy T9	“Travel Plans”