CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 770 new homes on land in South Warrington have been approved by members of the borough council’s planning committee.
Despite nuemrous objections mainly on highway and lack of infrastructure members of the committee voted 6-2 in favour of the application to build 770 new homes on land at Grappenhall Heys and Appleton Cross.
Ironically the meeting had to be delayed to give protestors a chance to attended the meeting following traffic delays caused by a problem with the Stockton heath swing bridge breaking down.
The original meeting had to be postponed due to the large numbers of concerned residents who packed into the meeting at Warrington town hall.
Large numbers again packed into the town’s Parr Hall but left bitterly disappointed.
The proposals were put forward by the Homes and Communities Agency for 400 properties at Grappenhall Heys and 370 at Appleton Cross.
Planning officers recommended the schemes be approved.
Local Cllr Ryan Bate urged for the applications to be rejected saying highways, school places, health provision and protecting green spaces were just some of the major issues with greater commitments on transport infrastructure and provision of public services, also of major concern.
Another local councillor Sharon Harris, also voiced her opposition saying it would make local roads, which already could hardly cope, even more congested.
The proposals were opposed by Appleton Parish Council, Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council, Stockton Heath Parish Council and Lymm Parish Council.
Both applications were recommended for approval subject to a section 106 agreement, including bus service enhancements, bus stops, road safety measures, primary school provision, secondary school provision, healthcare facilities and sports facilities.
Warrington South MP Faisal Rashid, who was unable to attended the meeting due to parliamentary obligations was left bitterly disappointed by the outcome.
In a letter read out at the meeting he said: “I do not believe the council or applicant have shown these two applications are sustainable – In fact the opposite is true – these two applications are not sustainable.”
Protesters who packed out Warrington town hall at previous demonstration
Hundreds of homes now set to be built here
RELATED ARTICLE http://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/2017/04/26/homes-plan-postponed-as-too-many-protesters-turn-up-at-town-hall/
3 Comments
Planning Approvals + old Runcorn Bridge closure + opening new bridge (people start using the A Roads instead) + usual M6/M56/M62 traffic + Swingbridge malfunctions = Nightmare at Bridgefoot.
The council, planning officers and the councillors who voted to approve this should be ASHAMED of themselves !
How much is the 106 agreement in total and will it all be spent in the local area….it doesn’t always have to be in the immediate area as the money can be spent anywhere in the borough.
If they think money towards the overpriced and unreliable bus services Warrington has for starters will make any impact on the gridlocked roads then they are even more disillusioned than I thought. Anyone affording these homes will be able to afford cars two so maybe 2 per new house which is the norm for most working couples/families.
Warrington is already gridlocked and it will be even worse with all these new housing plans….but hey not to worry eh WBC cos you get your 106 agreement money and KERCHING very high £’s council tax every month too into your pot for every house built.
I suspect all the other new housing developments will also be approved too now these 2 have. Bye bye green fields and open space everywhere and ‘welcome’ to congested, built up, strangled, air polluted, gridlocked Warrington CITY 🙁
Not a single pound (new or old money) of the 106 Agreement CON will go towards the already inadequate local infrastructure, which leads onto the town’s creaking and daily gridlocked road system. One can only assume that Colin Wilson’s (allegedly our Development Control Manager) and Nicola Ellsworth’s (Senior Specialist?? of the HCA) assurances there will be no or very little adverse impact from this development on the local and town’s, were made knowing roads that are currently wholly inadequate cannot be made worse.