Plans for 23 extra Omega South homes rejected

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A DEVELOPER'S bid to build 23 extra homes on Omega South have been thwarted after concerns that the plans could limit Royal Mail’s potential to expand.

The Omega site is situated on both sides of the M62 on part of the former Burtonwood airbase, with planning permission already in place for 1,100 homes on Omega South.

The 1,100 properties are being built by Miller Homes and Redrow Homes – and could be completed within a decade.

A reserved matters application for 86 properties as part of phases 3b and 5 of the scheme within zone six, bounded by Omega Boulevard, was approved in July last year.


But Redrow submitted an application to increase the number of units.

It would have seen the number rise from 86 to 109 but the plans – which included apartments and bungalows – sparked concerns from Royal Mail which has a facility on Omega.

Cushman & Wakefield’s senior consultant Claire Pegg told the authority the amended proposals had been reviewed with the postal giant.

However, she claimed they did ‘not protect the interests’ of the company.

In an e-mail to the council, Ms Pegg said: “While we welcome the removal of the French doors and Juliet balconies as per the suggestion in our previous representations, this does not alter the fact that the developer is proposing a significant intensification of residential occupants at such close proximity to Royal Mail’s servicing yard.

“As previously set out in our representations, this increases the potential for complaints and limits Royal Mail’s future potential to expand and intensify their use in response to economic and market conditions.

“In addition, our significant concerns remain regarding the top floor Beech flats, which will be higher than the noise barrier and thus overlook the mail centre yard/operations.

“As per our submitted representations, we would request that this house type is reduced to a two-storey alternative.”

The council acknowledged the proposal would fail to protect the ‘business interests’ of Royal Mail, while highlighting the development would be in conflict with policies.


In its decision notice, it said the development would not deliver an ‘acceptable or reasonable’ standard of living accommodation in the apartments due to unacceptable noise from the Royal Mail depot.

It added: “Such unacceptable impact on living conditions might only be mitigated by the imposition of conditions requiring permanently sealed windows to main habitable rooms in the apartments, which face the noise source.

“Such measures would however impose too onerous a restriction as they would unacceptably impair the living conditions of future occupiers, who might ordinarily expect to be able to open windows for ventilation without experiencing unsatisfactory and behaviour changing noise impact from the depot’s 24-hour operations.”