Site between New Hall Lane (WA3 5EE) and approximately 550m north of Birchwood Way roundabout A574/ Silver Lane, WA3 6UJ Data via plota.co.uk

2026/01178/SCR - Screening Opinion Pending Consideration

Proposal

EIA Screening Opinion Request - Construction of a new shared-use-footpath to enhance connectivity between Culcheth and Birchwood Note – this is not an application for planning permission Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
2 Sept 2026
Decision
Target date was 23 Sept 2026

Under consideration

No decision has been issued yet. Plota predicts a decision by 8 Nov 2026, from Warrington's recent community buildings.

The consultation period closed on 29 Sept 2026.

Site constraints 4

Green belt: Merseyside and Greater Manchester
Inappropriate development needs very special circumstances.
Green belt policy allows a short list of exceptions, such as limited extensions and replacement buildings. Anything else needs very special circumstances that clearly outweigh the harm. Some green belt land can count as grey belt, where it does not strongly serve the green belt's purposes. The council decides this in its green belt assessment or on each application, so we do not mark it here.
Read the government guidance ↗
Agricultural land, grade 3a, surveyed
Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: Natural England's post-1988 ALC field survey (Wolverhampton). Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) agrees.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
Survey report ↗
Also on the record
Nature recovery project: Lost Wetlands; Coalfield, development low risk area.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · No listed building at the site · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 17 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Mining Remediation Authority and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Council
Warrington
Application type
Screening Opinion
Postcode
WA3 5EE
Received
2 Sept 2026
Validated
2 Sept 2026
Ward
Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft
Parish
Croft
Case officer
Show
Target decision
23 Sept 2026
Decision level
Delegated decision
Applicant
Show

Decision outlook

Day 58 of the 56-day target. Warrington usually decides community buildings by day 60.

Day 582 days to the predicted decision (day 60)
47%decided within 8 weeks
69%approved
8%go to committee

Plota live figures for community buildings decided by Warrington in the last twelve months, from validation. Warrington decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Comments by
29 Sept 2026
Statutory expiry
23 Sept 2026
Warrington
Planning Authority Score
5.5/10
Average
#122 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Warrington is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #72 out of 296. Only 29% of applications have the time limit extended, well below the 41% national average - the council usually decides on time. Warrington is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 80% approved vs 90% nationally.

One of the strictest councils
only 80% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Warrington decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
79%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #267 of 296
80%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #279 of 296
76%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #72 of 296
29%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #51 of 296
71%
Minor dwellings approved
77 decided (1-9 homes)
91%
Major dwellings approved
11 decided (10+ homes)
71%
Change of use approved
45 decided
883
Total decisions
188 refused in the year to March 2026