It's a bit technical but the topic title sums it up.
"The development does not appear to be justified and does not relate to Kirkby’s
position in the hierarchy within both the existant Regional Spatial Strategy
(RSS) and the emerging RSS which does not support large scale growth at
Kirkby.
It does not consider the role and function of Kirkby within the Regional hierarchy to
explain why it should secure development by relying on trade which could
more appropriately be directed to other centres.
In particular there are two sites identified within Kirkby Town Centre which could provide enhanced
retail facilities and assist in revitalising Kirkby. With regard to this, it is
understood that there is an alternative town centre scheme coming forward
which needs to be taken into account in any sequential analysis. There would
not be capacity for both and Knowsley should consider whether the town
centre scheme would better comply with the Knowsley UDP, RSS and PPS6
in terms of location and scale.
Unfortunately this has led them to produce the IPS which has little if any
weight or status in statutory terms and should not in any event be used to
reallocate the use of land in this case from green-space to built development.
The production of the IPS departs from statutory planning procedures, the
purpose of which is to bring forward land use policy, and consequential
developments, in a comprehensive and consistent way. Knowsley’s existing
recently adopted UDP does not support these development proposals and it
will be some time before its Local development Framework could provide the
necessary enabling policies.
Moreover the IPS acknowledges that Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), which
is also, part of Knowsley’s development plan, does not support the scale of
development proposed at Kirkby, because the Town’s current position within
the retail hierarchy does not give the town a regionally significant role."