Helsby Parish Council has agreed to shelve a proposal to create a conservation area around Helsby Hill.

As well as the Hill, the plans would have encompassed Helsby Quarry, St Paul's Church and the 'Spite Houses' on Robin Hood Lane.

For houses located within the conservation area, works that might otherwise be classed as permitted development would have required planning permission if they were believed to diverge from the overall character of the existing buildings.

Helsby Parish Council had planned to carry out a full public consultation on the idea earlier this year, but this was delayed by Covid-19 restrictions.

However, the Council did receive feedback from 30 residents, 27 of which objected to the proposal.

Of the three households that expressed support, two were based outside of the earmarked area.

In a Parish Council meeting on July 12, Cllr Paul Standing commented that any further consultation exercise would be likely to reflect similar levels of opposition.

Several members of the public also spoke on the issue, taking both positive and negative stances with regards to the conservation area idea.

After a short discussion, members decided to put the plans to one side for the time being.

However, Helsby Parish Council may be able to reconsider the proposal and resume the public consultation process at a later date.