New national planning policy raises fresh questions over Shorrocks Hill development

Fresh questions have been raised over the proposed development at Shorrocks Hill on Lifeboat Road in Formby following the introduction of new national planning policy addressing climate change and wildfire risk.

Formby Civic Society has written to Sefton Council’s Planning Department and Natural England asking whether the outstanding Shorrocks Hill planning application should now be considered in light of the new National Planning Policy Framework, which was published by the Government on 17 August 2026.

The Society believes the changes are potentially significant because the new framework includes specific policy relating to development at heightened risk from wildfire, particularly development adjoining woodland or heathland.

What is proposed at Shorrocks Hill?

The proposals for Shorrocks Hill were considered by Sefton Council’s Planning Committee in July 2025.

At that meeting, councillors resolved to approve plans for up to 23 homes together with a 100 space public car park, subject to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement and other requirements associated with the application.

However, Formby Civic Society says it understands that formal planning permission has still not been issued.

This is important because, since the application was considered by the Planning Committee, the Government has introduced a new National Planning Policy Framework.

The Society is therefore asking whether the outstanding application should now be assessed against the national planning policies currently in force before any final planning decision notice is issued.

What has changed?

The new National Planning Policy Framework was published on 17 August 2026.

Formby Civic Society has highlighted Policy CC3, Adaptation to Climate Change, which deals with the need for planning and development to respond to the effects of a changing climate.

Of particular relevance to the Society’s concerns is the section dealing with wildfire.

The policy addresses development considered to be at heightened risk from wildfire, including development adjoining woodland or heathland.

It states that appropriate measures should be considered to reduce fuel loads and create defendable areas.

These measures can include incorporating firebreaks into the layout and landscaping of a development.

A firebreak is essentially an area designed to help slow or prevent the spread of fire by reducing or removing combustible vegetation or other material between areas where a fire could spread.

A defendable area is intended to provide separation between buildings and surrounding vegetation, helping to reduce the risk of fire reaching properties and providing space from which firefighters can operate more safely.

Formby Civic Society believes this new national policy raises a legitimate question over whether wildfire risk at Shorrocks Hill now requires further consideration.

Why is the Society raising concerns about wildfire?

Shorrocks Hill is a heavily wooded site and the proposed development would sit within an environment containing significant numbers of trees and vegetation.

Formby Civic Society has also highlighted what it describes as a documented history of fires at Shorrocks Hill.

The Society says fires have been reported at the site in 2009, 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2025.

During the fire in 2021, contemporary reports stated that surrounding trees had been scorched.

The Society believes this history is relevant when considered alongside the Government’s new planning policy specifically addressing development adjoining woodland and areas at heightened risk from wildfire.

It has also pointed to the more recent wildfire within the wider Formby coastal environment.

On 12 August 2026, a substantial wildfire elsewhere on the Formby coast required six fire engines to attend.

The Civic Society believes the combination of previous fires at Shorrocks Hill, the wooded nature of the site and recent wildfire incidents within the Formby coastal environment warrants further professional consideration before the planning process is concluded.

Protected areas surrounding Shorrocks Hill

Another issue raised is the environmentally sensitive location of Shorrocks Hill.

The site is close to internationally and nationally protected areas of the Sefton Coast.

These include areas designated as a Special Area of Conservation, commonly known as an SAC, a Ramsar Site and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI.

These designations recognise the importance of the Sefton Coast for its habitats, wildlife and wider natural environment.

The Civic Society believes the proximity of these protected areas adds to the importance of properly considering any potential wildfire implications associated with development at the site.

What is Formby Civic Society asking for?

The Society is not claiming that the introduction of the new National Planning Policy Framework automatically prevents the Shorrocks Hill development from going ahead.

It is also not claiming that the proposed development itself would cause a wildfire.

Instead, it is asking whether the planning authority now has a responsibility to consider the outstanding application against the new national policy before formal planning permission is issued.

Formby Civic Society has asked Sefton Council to confirm whether Policy CC3 of the August 2026 National Planning Policy Framework will be considered before any final decision notice for Shorrocks Hill is issued.

It has also asked whether the documented history of fires at Shorrocks Hill, together with the significant wildfire on the Formby coast in August, means that an updated professional wildfire assessment should now be undertaken.

The Society is additionally asking whether Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service should be consulted again in light of the new national policy and the history of fires associated with the area.

Natural England has also been contacted, with the Society seeking its view because of the proximity of the development to the internationally and nationally protected areas of the Sefton Coast.

Civic Society says housing need is recognised

David Irving, Amenity Secretary of Formby Civic Society, has made clear that the organisation recognises the need for new housing.

However, the Society believes that where a planning application remains outstanding, decisions should take account of the national planning policies currently in force, particularly where new policies address climate change, wildfire risk and development adjoining woodland.

The central question being raised is therefore not whether Shorrocks Hill should or should not be developed, but whether the changes to national planning policy introduced since the Planning Committee considered the application require wildfire risk to be looked at again before formal planning permission is granted.

Formby Civic Society is now awaiting responses from Sefton Council and Natural England.

Formby Bubble will continue to follow the Shorrocks Hill application and will bring readers the responses and any further developments as they are received.