Cheshire West and Chester Council wants to create hundreds of acres of new woodland, wildflower meadows and wetland habitats after contentious plans were withdrawn.

The authority agreed to sell its Shotwick Park Farms estate to Australian former financier and Saughall resident Lex Greensill in 2021. He had been developing a scheme since 2019 but has recently confirmed he is withdrawing it, stating it had become a 'point of division' in the local community.

And at a meeting of the council's ruling cabinet next week, town hall bosses will be asked to back the appropriation of almost 400 acres of the site to create new woodland and habitats. It would be part of the Mersey Forest network which spans Merseyside and North Cheshire, and would remove around 21,000 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere.

The land is located between the villages of Shotwick and Saughall and project bosses said the scheme could cost up to £5,498,000. The council said it would try and secure money from the Trees for Climate Grant Funding scheme by March next year.

A project document produced by Amion Consulting said creation of woodland and habitat restoration would play a 'crucial role' in balancing the emissions of the more carbon intensive industries in Cheshire West and Chester.

The report said: "Retaining the land allows these benefits to be maximised by retaining a public interest, and the land itself can be utilised to take advantage of future opportunities that contribute to our greener communities whilst contributing a grant receipt to be utilised to deliver the wider vision of the borough plan."

Cheshire and Chester Council wants to lower its carbon emissions and achieve net zero by 2045 'or sooner'.

Recommending that chiefs back the plans, a report to the cabinet said: "The original decision in relation to this land was taken on the basis that enhanced environmental improvements and improvements to biodiversity should be delivered with a commitment to support and enhance continued public access."

It added: "Given some of the above pressures, changes and opportunities an assessment was undertaken to re-assess whether these improvements could be delivered and enhanced whilst maintaining public ownership of this land, delivering a better strategic fit for the council and provide income."

If everything goes to plan, planting would be completed by 2028.