WORK on 66 new homes that would redevelop the site of a former Wirral school is expected to begin soon.

The former Foxfield School site in Moreton was cleared in 2015 after the school relocated to the Woodchurch Estate. It was approved for sale by Wirral Council’s former cabinet in 2015 and was finally sold for £2.6m to Lovell Partnerships, a housing developer, in 2023.

A planning application for the site was submitted in November 2023 and later approved in March. This said the development will create “a unique sense of place” and “provide attractive mixed tenure addition to the local housing market, providing open market sale and affordable new housing to meet the specifics of local demand.”

On May 7, Lovell applied to Wirral Council for what is called a discharge of conditions which provides details on terms needed by the local authority to allow construction to begin. If approved by Wirral Council, this will allow the development to go ahead and work on building the new homes to start.

In the case of the Foxfield site, these relate to work on the highways removing an old school sign, some road markings, and lampposts as well as the management of the sewage network during construction. An announcement on work starting will be made later this month.

The new development will see a mix of 66 new homes made up of terraced and semi-detached homes available through shared ownership, affordable rent, or rent-to-buy.

When the scheme was given the go-ahead, Tahreen Shad, regional partnerships director at Lovell, said: “This is a site that has been left vacant for some time, since the school was demolished in 2018. Unlocking developments is what we do best and it is therefore a positive step forward to have secured planning and progress with this high-quality, multi affordable tenure development.

“We are committed to helping meet housing demand in the region by providing affordable homes for local people and bringing brownfield sites back into use. We expect to start on site in April and look forward to delivering a range of sustainable design measures included in our plans, such as high performing insulation and low energy fittings. We are also keen to prioritise a vibrant and cohesive green environment for residents.”

Previously Moreton West and Saughall Massie councillor Gary Bennett said the development would tie into a nearby development that includes a new Lidl, adding: “I think it’s a cracking place to put it because it’s in an ideal position and it’s a wasted site.

“Lovell Partnerships, they tie in with what we want for the Wirral which is brownfield development and this is a prime example of it.”

He also said the new homes could bring in more children to local schools, adding: “I have been looking into the schools around here and there is one school that is oversubscribed in Moreton. The rest of the schools have good availability.”

The council hopes the school site will deliver over half the homes by 2025 and the rest the following year. It will be one of six areas designated for housing development in Moreton and Woodchurch under the local authority’s draft Local Plan.