Huyton: 84 Affordable Homes Approved on Cricket Site 2026

Key Points

• Knowsley Council has approved plans for an 84-home development on the former Huyton (Merseyside) cricket club site.
• The developer is Preston-based Breck Homes, which purchased the site after the club folded and submitted proposals for affordable housing.
• The 6.5-acre brownfield site on Huyton Lane has been largely unused since 2009.
• The scheme includes a mix of two- to four-bedroom houses and one- to two-bedroom apartments delivered for shared ownership, affordable rent and rent-to-buy tenures.
• Planning permission was granted despite opposition from local residents and some councillors concerned about density, access and traffic.
• The approval followed a planning committee resolution and was subject to the completion of relevant legal agreements and conditions.
• Breck Homes has an existing pipeline of brownfield affordable housing schemes in Merseyside and the North West.

Huyton (Liverpool standard) July 13, 2026 — uk/local/liverpool-council/knowsley-council/">Knowsley Council granted planning permission this week for an 84-home housing development on the disused site of the former Huyton Cricket Club on Huyton Lane, a scheme that will deliver a mix of houses and apartments for shared ownership, affordable rent and rent-to-buy tenures on the 6.5-acre brownfield plot.

What did the council approve and why was the application significant?

As reported by Neil Hodgson of TheBusinessDesk, the council’s planning committee resolved to grant planning permission for the proposals submitted by Breck Homes, concluding that the scheme would make effective use of a largely unused brownfield site while contributing to the borough’s affordable housing supply. The site, which has been largely unused since the cricket club folded in 2009, had attracted local scrutiny because of its long-term vacancy and its position within the Huyton neighbourhood.

What homes will be built on the former cricket ground and who will they serve?

Breck Homes’ planning documents indicate the development will provide a mixture of two- to four-bedroom houses and one- to two-bedroom apartments, with units allocated for shared ownership, affordable rent and rent-to-buy options to widen access for local households who cannot afford open-market housing. The landowner and developer presented the mix as a means to address local housing need while enabling a financially viable redevelopment of the brownfield plot.

What objections did residents and councillors raise about the scheme?

Local opposition was recorded in council papers and local reporting, with residents and some councillors raising concerns about the density of development, potential pressure on local highways, and the impact on neighbourhood character and local services. Opponents warned that additional traffic generated by up to 84 homes could exacerbate congestion on nearby roads and that local infrastructure would need careful assessment to cope with new demand.

What was the developer’s position and background on the project?

As reported by TheBusinessDesk, Breck Homes a Preston-based property developer active across the North West purchased the former cricket club site following the club’s closure and submitted the application on a brownfield regeneration basis. Company statements and regional reporting note that Breck has a pipeline of affordable housing projects across Merseyside and is positioning the Huyton scheme as part of that broader programme.

What planning conditions and legal steps accompany the approval?

Local reporting states the planning committee’s resolution to grant permission was subject to the completion of a section 106 legal agreement and compliance with planning conditions covering matters such as highways improvements, drainage, landscaping and the delivery of affordable housing as specified in the approved mix. The council will require those agreements and conditions to be satisfied before building works commence.

What is the history of the site and its previous use?

The site was previously home to Huyton Cricket Club, which folded in 2009; since then the plot has remained largely vacant, prompting repeated discussions about its future use and priority for redevelopment as brownfield land within Knowsley. The redevelopment is therefore framed in local planning terms as bringing a long-idle parcel of land back into productive use.thebusinessdesk+1

What will the development mean for affordable housing in Knowsley?

Council documents and reporting indicate the scheme will add a significant number of affordable units to Knowsley’s housing stock at a time when local authorities across the North West are prioritising measures to expand affordable tenure options, including shared ownership and rent-to-buy, to help households on lower incomes access stable housing.thebusinessdesk+1

Planning committee debate and final vote

Minutes and coverage of the planning meeting show a contested debate, with councillors weighing material planning considerations including housing supply, economic viability, site remediation and highway safety against local concerns about scale and impact. The resolution to approve contained typical planning safeguards requiring the developer to address specific technical matters through condition discharge and legal undertakings before any construction starts.

Construction timescale and local economic impact

While precise construction phasing and completion dates depend on the discharge of conditions and market factors, the developer’s stated intent is to proceed to deliver the scheme once legal agreements are sealed; local reporting suggests the project will generate construction jobs and contribute to economic activity in the short term while increasing local housing supply in the medium term.

What do local groups and stakeholders say?

Local residents who lodged objections focused on traffic, parking and potential loss of open space, while housing advocates and council officers who supported the recommendation pointed to the benefits of unlocking a large brownfield site for affordable homes. The balance of views reflects a common dynamic in urban redevelopments where community concerns about immediate impacts coexist with strategic policy goals for housing delivery and brownfield regeneration.

What similar projects has the developer delivered or proposed nearby?

Breck Homes is reported to be pursuing a pipeline of brownfield affordable housing across Merseyside and the North West, including other small-to-medium schemes that aim to repurpose previously developed land for mixed-tenure housing. Such activity forms part of a wider regional push to prioritise brownfield sites for new homes and limit greenfield development.

Background of the development

The former Huyton Cricket Club site has been vacant since the club’s closure in 2009, leaving a 6.5-acre brownfield plot within the Huyton area that has periodically attracted developer interest and public debate about its future. Knowsley Council’s local plan and housing strategy place emphasis on making effective use of brownfield land to meet housing targets, particularly for affordable and specialist housing types; this policy context framed the planning committee’s assessment of the Breck Homes proposal. Over recent years, developers across the North West have increasingly targeted inner suburban brownfield sites to deliver affordable housing products, enabled by government and local authority initiatives that favour urban regeneration.

Prediction — how this development can affect local residents and stakeholders

The approved scheme is likely to have several measurable impacts for local audiences. It will increase the supply of affordable housing in Huyton and Knowsley, providing new options for households seeking shared ownership, affordable rent or rent-to-buy paths into homeownership, which could ease local housing pressures for qualifying families. Short-term effects will include increased construction activity and associated employment opportunities; longer-term effects may include modest additional demand on local roads, services and schooling that the section 106 agreement and planning conditions are intended to mitigate. For neighbours worried about traffic and density, the development’s success in integrating with existing infrastructure will depend on the delivery of agreed highways improvements and monitoring; for local councils and housing partners, the scheme represents a practical contribution to affordable housing targets and brownfield regeneration objectives.