Riverside wins approval for Palace Fields regeneration

Housing association Riverside has secured planning permission to build 134 new homes at Palace Fields in Halton Lea, Runcorn.The development, which has been approved by Halton Borough Council, will involve the demolition of 26 homes and the local centre.In their place, 134 new “affordable” homes will be constructed. This includes dedicated veterans housing, and extra care living facilities for older people. Alongside the homes, the plans also include a brand-new local centre, commercial units, and a community café.The historic Hallwood Manor and Stone Barns (formerly known as the Tricorn Land) will be “sensitively converted” into 10 of the new homes, having fallen out of use in recent years.Nick Jones, Riverside’s director of development and growth, said: “The approval for the local centre is another major step forward in our ambitions to transform Runcorn and provide much needed high-quality affordable homes and spaces for local people to come together.“Having listened to residents’ views ahead of planning submission, we are confident this new local centre will be a welcome addition to the area, especially as it had always been an ask since we began consultation.”The Palace Fields scheme includes plans to enhance the historic community garden with a new play area, and rby eviving The Moat, which is said will create places rich in biodiversity and a range of new habitats.Bethesda Church is also set to be demolished to make way for a brand-new church with multi-purpose spaces to provide flexible religious and community uses, and a new secure garden space for outdoor activities.Riverside will be teaming up with partners Compendium Living, as the developer; Lovell Partnerships, as main contractor; DK-Architects, as the main architect; Planit-ie as the landscape architect; Lichfields as planning consultant; and Markhams as the employers agent.The Palace Fields’ local centre is just one half of Riverside’s wider £60m regeneration scheme, which will see the construction of 391 homes in Halton Lea.Riverside says it is now set to submit proposals for The Uplands in the next month, which will see the housing association bring a further 247 new homes to the area on top of the 134 already approved.Jones added: “We’re now looking forward to starting preparations for this first phase and applying for planning for The Uplands.“As with the proposals for Palace Fields local centre, we’ve continued to heavily involve the community in helping us identify ways to develop the Uplands area.“Once again, feedback has been very positive and useful in shaping what we hope to do, leading to facilities that local people want and need, such as an increased number of three-bedroom bungalows, and improved car parking.”The first phase of delivering the new Palace Fields local centre will begin in Winter 2024. The entire regeneration project encompassing Palace Fields across the local centre and The Uplands is expected to take around, 10 years to deliver, Riverside said.Read next: Housebuilder secures consent for 125 homes in KentAre you a social housing professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.