Consultations and latest news

Consultations

Community engagement in planning policy is one of the main ways local people can have their say in how development is managed in their area. The council is also required by law to allow local residents to read and comment on new local planning documents before they can be adopted. Therefore, the council consults on and communicates important information in the preparation of them.

Currently the following documents are available to view and comment on.

Call for Sites

St Helens Borough Council is inviting interested parties to submit suggestions for new housing development as part of the St Helens 2025 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA).

Interested parties can submit sites they consider suitable for housing through the Council's Call for Sites exercise by completing a Call for Sites Form and including a location plan of the site considered suitable for housing. Only sites submitted from Friday 4 April 2025 to 5pm on Monday 5 May 2025 will be considered as part of the 2025 SHLAA.

Please note, any Green Belt sites submitted will not be assessed at this time. The Council are specifically looking for brownfield or greenfield sites within the urban areas.

The Council will give due consideration to all sites put forward, but they will be assessed against planning policy and other relevant planning considerations. Submitting details of a particular site does not guarantee that the Council will include the site in the SHLAA and the Council's housing supply. Furthermore, should a site be included in the Council's updated SHLAA its inclusion does NOT mean that the Council will automatically approve future development through a planning application.

Interested parties can submit sites by emailing a Call for Sites form and a location plan to planningpolicy@sthelens.gov.uk or by posting them to the following address: Planning Policy team, Development Plans, Development & Growth, Place Services, St Helens Borough Council, PO Box 512, St Helens, WA10 9JX.

Call for Sites Form 2025 (PDF, 260 KB) Call for Sites Form 2025 (Word doc, 240 KB)

Call for Sites Guidance Note 2025 (PDF, 221 KB)

Bold Forest Garden Village Masterplan

St Helens Borough Council supported by Avison Young - and design team partners, SLR Consulting and Social - has launched the first community consultation on the emerging Bold Forest Garden Village masterplan proposals in Bold.

Following adoption of the Local Plan in July 2022 the land was allocated for the development a notional 2988 new homes. The masterplan aims to bring forward a new sustainable residential community, consisting of approximately 3,000 homes, alongside associated community infrastructure and amenities.

The team is encouraging residents and stakeholders to have their say on the emerging masterplan proposals, which will be refined further following community feedback. A second consultation period is set to take place in Autumn 2025. It is anticipated that the final masterplan document will be submitted to the Council for approval by the end of the year.

As the largest housing allocation in the Liverpool City Region, transforming this 128-hectare site into a high-quality development will support the boroughs growing population and become a key source of housing supply over the coming years.

Community drop-in events are taking place at the following dates and times:

• Wednesday 23rd April, 1-7pm - Clock Face Miners Rec Club

• Saturday 26th April, 11-4pm - Clock Face Labour Club

Nearby residents and businesses will have the opportunity to view the proposed initial masterplan approaches and speak directly with the project team. The consultation materials are also available to view and respond to on a dedicated website: boldforestgv.co.uk

Responses must be submitted by Friday 2nd May 2025. This will ensure the project team can gather all feedback to inform and help further develop the overall masterplan before the Autumn consultation.

Latest News

August 2024

The St Helens Locally Listed Heritage Assets - Nomination Consultation has now closed. However, interested parties can still submit nominations by completing the Locally Listed Heritage Asset Nomination form.

What are we looking for?

Any building or structure of some significant historical or architectural interest can potentially be added to the list, particularly if it can be shown that it contributes to the character of an area and is valued by local people.

We would be particularly interested to hear of buildings and structures which are:

substantially unaltered and retain the majority of their original features
of local architectural value and include design qualities typical of the local area
surviving examples of buildings/structures illustrating local architectural history or design and buildings associated with local historic events, strong community or socio-economic development significance (e.g. schools), people, locally or nationally important architects, engineers or designers
individual buildings or groups of buildings which contribute positively to the local area - for example, key landmark buildings, notable buildings on important routes into the area, which create a vista or contribute to the skyline.

If you require any help in completing the Locally Listed Heritage Asset Nomination form, then please contact a member of the Development Plans team by telephone on 01744 676190, or by email at planningpolicy@sthelens.gov.uk.

April 2024

At the Council Cabinet meeting on 24 April 2024, having taken into account the representations received during earlier consultation drafts, St Helens Borough Council formally adopted the following Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs).

· Design Supplementary Planning Document (PDF, 46 MB)

· Developer Contributions Supplementary Planning Document (PDF, 3 MB)

· Open Space Provision and Enhancements Supplementary Planning Document (PDF, 1 MB)

· Transport and Travel SPD 27.01.2025 (PDF, 14 MB)

The Design SPD will replace the 'Design Guidance' SPD (2007) and the 'New Residential Development' SPD (2010). The Transport and Travel SPD will replace the 'Ensuring a Choice of Travel' SPD (2010), 'Guidance Note for Travel Plans' (2016) and 'Guidance Notes for the Submission of Transport Assessments' (2016). As both the Developer Contributions and Open Space Provision and Enhancement SPDs are new documents, neither will be replacing any existing SPDs.

The SPDs will be used to inform decisions on land use planning in St Helens and are 'material considerations' in the decision making process, supporting the planning policies of the adopted Local Plan.

· Adoption Statement (PDF, 112 KB)

· Consultation Statement (PDF, 1 MB)

· List of Consultees (PDF, 147 KB)

The SPDs came into operation on 24 April 2024. Any person aggrieved by the SPDs may apply to the High Court for permission to apply for judicial review of the decision to adopt the SPDs. Such an application must be made promptly and in any event not later than three months after the date on which the SPD was adopted.

December 2023

Both Rainford Parish Council and Windle Parish Council as the relevant bodies have had their applications to designate their parish areas as Neighbourhood Area's for the purposes of neighbourhood planning approved by St Helens Borough Council. This is the first step in preparing a Neighbourhood Plan, which once 'made' will become part of Development Plan (along with the Local Plan and any other relevant documents).