Key Points
- The cabinet of Sefton Council will be voting next week on the sale of five sites owned by Sefton Council to The Sovini Group through the Sefton 2030 partnership.
- The land sales will allow for 231 affordable homes to be built in Southport, Netherton and Seaforth.
- The five sites include Back Forest Road, part of the old Bootle High School site, the old Dale Acre School site, the old St Raymond’s playing field and the old Rawson Road School site.
- Each of the sites has been classified as redundant for the needs of Sefton Council.
- Sefton Council and Sovini expect planning permission to be obtained in 2027 and land sales to be completed after planning permission has been received.
- Of all the five sites, the biggest allocation will be made on the old Bootle High School site which is meant to accommodate 137 homes.
- The first phase at this site involving 71 homes will be constructed next year; the land deal is for the second phase that will have 66 homes.
- Overall, the Sefton 2030 partnership will seek to construct over 1,000 social and affordable homes by 2030.
Sefton Council (Liverpool standard) October 29, 2026 – It is preparing to sell five surplus land sites to The Sovini Group in a move that could enable the delivery of 231 affordable homes under the first wave of the Sefton 2030 housing partnership, according to reporting by Julia Hatmaker of Place North West.
What Is Sefton Council Proposing?
Sefton Council’s cabinet is expected to vote next week on the proposed land sales, with each plot previously identified as surplus to the authority’s needs. If approved, the transactions would allow The Sovini Group to acquire the sites and progress housing schemes under the Sefton 2030 partnership.
As reported by Place North West, the proposed sites are Back Forest Road in Southport, part of the former Bootle High School premises in Netherton, the former Dale Acre School site at Harps Croft, the former St Raymond’s playing field in Netherton, and the former Rawson Road School site in Seaforth.
The council and Sovini anticipate securing planning permission for each project in 2027. The land sales would then complete once planning permission has been obtained.
How Many Homes Could Be Built?
The five sites together have capacity for 231 affordable homes, according to the council documents and reporting by Place North West.
The former Bootle High School site in Netherton carries the largest proposed allocation, with plans for 137 homes. Its first phase of 71 homes is due to be on site early next year, while the land transaction now being considered concerns the second phase of 66 properties. Those homes are intended to be available through social rent, low-cost ownership or rent-to-buy, in a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom houses.
The remaining proposed capacity is spread across four sites:
| Site | Location | Proposed homes |
|---|---|---|
| Back Forest Road | Southport | 32 houses and apartments |
| Former Bootle High School, phase two | Netherton | 66 homes |
| Former Dale Acre School site | Harps Croft | 53 houses and apartments |
| Former St Raymond’s playing field | Netherton | 49 family homes and bungalows |
| Former Rawson Road School site | Seaforth | 31 houses and apartments |
What Have Councillors Said?
Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council’s deputy leader, said: “There is a real need for more affordable homes in Sefton.” She cited the 3,000 households registered for housing in the borough and described Sefton 2030 as “an important step towards delivering those homes that people need”.
Cllr Phil Hart, who leads on housing at the council, said the agreement with The Sovini Group extends beyond housing delivery. “Through this partnership with The Sovini Group, we want to create jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities, support local businesses and bring investment into our communities,” he said.
Cllr Hart added that the partnership builds on previous joint work to improve neighbourhoods in Sefton, including projects supporting care-experienced young people, creating employment opportunities and investing in local communities. He described it as “a long-term commitment to helping more people access quality, affordable homes while creating lasting social and economic benefits across Sefton”.
What Is the Sefton 2030 Partnership?
Sefton 2030 is a partnership between Sefton Council and The Sovini Group intended to deliver more than 1,000 high-quality social and affordable homes across the borough by 2030. Sefton Council says the social housing will be allocated through Property Pool Plus to local people in housing need.
The council’s cabinet agreed an initial set of 10 council-owned sites for exploration under the partnership in November 2025. That list included the former St Raymond’s Primary School site, the former Bootle High School site, the former Dale Acre School site, the former Rawson Road School site, the Kings Centre in Bootle and the Back Forest Road depot, along with several smaller former garage sites.
Sefton Council announced in March 2026 that the partnership had reached a major milestone, with the authority and Sovini Group committing to deliver 1,000 new affordable homes by the end of the decade.
How Does This Fit Earlier Plans?
The proposed land sales relate to five of the sites already identified through the partnership. Sefton Council has separately said that its cabinet was asked in July to approve next steps allowing Sovini to begin early feasibility work on further development sites, including the former Ainsdale Hope School site, the Professional Development Centre in Formby and the former TT Cables/Peoples site in Bootle.
Those additional proposals were reported by Sefton Council as potentially accommodating around 230 new properties across a range of tenures.
The council has also previously said the first wave of Sefton 2030 delivery could see up to 400 homes begin construction across eight sites in Bootle, Netherton, Southport, Seaforth and Formby.
Background of the Development
Sefton 2030 was established as a long-term alliance between Sefton Council and The Sovini Group to address housing need while directing investment into local communities. The partnership’s stated objective is to build 1,000 new and affordable homes by 2030, while pooling local resources, protecting green belt land and investing directly back into communities.
The five sites now subject to the proposed cabinet decision were among the initial locations identified in November 2025. They include former school and civic land, reflecting the council’s approach of bringing surplus public assets back into use for housing.
The council has framed the programme as combining new homes with employment, skills and community investment. In September, Sefton Council highlighted the former Rawson Road School site as part of plans to create skills and employment opportunities for local people, alongside the delivery of affordable housing.
Prediction: What Could This Mean for Sefton Residents?
If the cabinet approves the sales and planning permission follows in 2027, the immediate effect for local residents would be the progression of 231 affordable homes across Southport, Netherton and Seaforth. For households on Sefton’s housing register, the proposals could add to the supply of social rent, low-cost ownership and rent-to-buy homes, although allocation arrangements and eligibility would still determine who benefits.
For residents near the five sites, the developments could bring construction activity, changes to formerly vacant or surplus public land, and potential local employment and training opportunities. The council has said it intends the partnership to support apprenticeships, local businesses and community investment, though the scale and distribution of those benefits would depend on later delivery and procurement decisions.
For the wider borough, approval would represent a material step towards the partnership’s 1,000-home target by 2030. The proposals would account for 231 homes within that wider programme, while further sites already under feasibility work could add around 230 more properties if they progress.
