Taylor Wimpey wants to build up to 275 homes on green belt off Lever Causeway, by Prenton Golf Club. Comments close on 22 November, before an application goes in.

Taylor Wimpey plans to build up to 275 homes on fields off Lever Causeway, between Prenton Golf Club and Mount Road. The land is green belt. The housebuilder argues it now counts as “grey belt”, the national planning term for green belt that it says does little to hold back sprawl.

Its public consultation opened on Monday 9 November and closes on Sunday 22 November 2026. The company says it aims to submit an outline planning application to Wirral Council before the end of 2026. (Taylor Wimpey consultation website)

What is proposed

The consultation website and its indicative layout set out:

  • up to 275 homes, with up to 35% affordable, which the company puts at up to 96 homes
  • a mix running from starter homes to larger family houses and homes for downsizers
  • one vehicle entrance from Lever Causeway, plus a separate emergency-only access
  • walking and cycling links onto the existing path along Lever Causeway and towards Mount Road
  • a children’s play area, public open space and an attenuation pond for surface water
  • gardens of around 15 metres on the northern edge, next to the Mountwood Conservation Area
  • existing woodland kept, including Marsh Hey Covert on the south-west corner

The layout plan, drawn by the planning consultants Marrons, gives the whole site as 13.12 hectares. About 7.34 hectares of that is shown as land to build on. (Taylor Wimpey consultation website)

Indicative layout plan for land off Lever Causeway, showing the housing area between Lever Causeway and the Mountwood Conservation Area, Prenton Golf Club to the west, Mount Road to the east and Marsh Hey Covert woodland in the south-west corner
Taylor Wimpey's indicative layout for the site: Lever Causeway runs along the bottom edge and Mount Road down the right. Image: Marrons for Taylor Wimpey, from the consultation website.

The developer’s case

Taylor Wimpey’s case rests on housing need. Wirral’s Local Plan was adopted in March 2025. The company says the Government’s standard method now puts Wirral’s need at 1,630 homes a year. That is “roughly double the 800 or so a year the Local Plan was built around”, it says.

It also says:

  • around 630 homes a year have been built in Wirral over the past decade
  • more than 4,800 households were on Wirral’s housing waiting list in March 2026
  • more than 800 of them were in the highest priority need
  • the council’s own housing strategy estimates around 687 affordable homes are needed a year

These are the developer’s figures, as published on its consultation website. (Taylor Wimpey consultation website)

On the green belt, it says the land “does not strongly contribute” to the purposes green belt is meant to serve. National rules for building on grey belt set “golden rules”, including affordable housing, infrastructure and green space. The company says its plans meet them.

What has not been done yet

Several of the reports that will decide the application do not exist yet. The website says these are still being prepared:

  • a full Transport Assessment, with traffic surveys and modelling of nearby junctions, including the Mount Road roundabout
  • a drainage strategy and Flood Risk Assessment (the site is in Flood Zone 1, the lowest risk)
  • ecological surveys, a tree survey and a biodiversity net gain plan, aiming for a 10% gain
  • reports on noise, air quality and utilities

On schools and GP surgeries, the company says it will “work closely with the Council and relevant service providers” to judge whether extra capacity is needed. It has not said what it would pay for.

How this fits Wirral’s planning picture

Wirral’s Local Plan, adopted in March 2025, plans for at least 14,400 homes by 2040, none of them on the green belt. (our guide to the plan) The council is already drafting a replacement, the Local Plan 2045, and consulted on its scope over the summer. (our report)

On 28 October councillors voted to ask the Government to change the grey belt test. They want green belt that guards countryside from encroachment, or encourages urban regeneration, to count against development. (our report) Lever Causeway would be one of the first big tests of that question on the Wirral.

What it means for you

This is the developer’s own consultation, not the council’s. Comments go to Taylor Wimpey’s project team. There will be a second, formal chance to comment once an application reaches the council.

To comment by Sunday 22 November:

  • use the feedback form on landofflevercauseway.co.uk
  • email landofflevercauseway@havingyoursay.co.uk
  • call 0333 358 0502, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm
  • write to FREEPOST SHAPE TOMORROW

The online form asks whether you consent to your comments being shared with the council.

Once the application is lodged, it will appear on the council’s planning register. We will report it then, with the transport and drainage reports. Our Wirral planning news page tracks the big applications.