VIDEO: ANGRY residents have hit out at the “deforestation” of land at Omega South, Warrington, as part of a proposed new housing development by Redrow Homes.
Children walking to a nearby primary school were left in tears by the devastation and impact on local wildlife.
Local resident Nigel Catlow said: “Lots of trees have been cut down when the original masterplan said about retaining trees.
“In the space of a week there has been total deforestation of the area. A lot of local school children have been concerned.”
He said he was now considering resurrecting the Whittle Residents Association to campaign against what was taking place in the area.
A statement issued on behalf of Omega Warrington Limited and Warrington Borough Council said:”There are currently two neighbouring residential plots on Omega South, one which is being developed by Miller Homes and the other by Redrow. In both cases, to enable the sites to be developed, tree removal works have been or are envisaged to be undertaken by the housebuilders.
“These works were only carried out where essential in order to construct infrastructure in these areas, either road accesses or flood attenuation ponds. There are no Tree Protection Orders on the site and all tree removal works were undertaken within the terms of the planning permissions, following extensive arboricultural studies. The activity on site at the moment is partly because all tree removal has to happen before the end of February to avoid bird nesting season.
“Insofar as the attenuation ponds are concerned, these are vital to ensure that all rain water run-off from the sites can be collected and redistributed slowly into water courses to prevent localised flooding. However whilst being practical drainage solutions, these ponds will also evolve over time to become wildlife habitats to all sorts of animal, insect and plant species, supporting the biodiversity of the area.
“In terms of land outside of existing and future residential and commercial development plots, as of summer this year, some fifty acres of land at Omega has been handed over to the Land Trust, a national land management charity. This means that existing trees within the landscape buffer zones are now owned and controlled by the Land Trust. A planning consent is also now in place which includes a comprehensive landscaping scheme to bolster planting in these buffer zones, once the infrastructure works are complete.
“As regards the 50 acres as a whole, the role of the Land Trust at Omega will be the remodelling of these spaces, over the coming years, to create a 35 acres central park, called the Green Heart, and a network of connected green corridors around the Omega development. When completed, these spaces will include wetland and woodland habitats, building on the established Great Crested Newt community already present, along with public footpaths and cycle ways providing attractive and wildlife diverse routes through the site.
“Omega Warrington Ltd and Warrington Borough Council are very aware that some of these tree removal works look dramatic. However, both parties want to reassure all the communities surrounding Omega that this is a short-term, transitory situation; we have significant medium to long-term plans, in partnership with the Land Trust, which are being put into place now to create some very special, vibrant, wildlife-rich spaces for the future.
“As well as re-providing the visual buffers previously enjoyed by neighbouring residents, these spaces will also create new leisure opportunities and educational, biodiverse pockets of interest on large swathes of land that will, for the first time, be open to the community as a whole.
“In relation to both applications 2017/30837 & 2017/31105 the impact on ecology and residential amenity was assessed as set out in the Case Officer’s Reports. This considered that the proposals would be unlikely to have a detrimental impact on residential amenity given that there are no residential properties near the site(s). In terms of the impact on general amenity/ecology it was considered that whilst the proposals would have an impact it would be adequately mitigated/controlled in accordance with Policy QE 5 / QE 6 (as appropriate) of the Warrington Local Plan Core Strategy.”
As reported earlier this month by warrington-worldwide work is set to start on building 158 new homes on Omega South early in the New Year following detailed planning approval with more planned on adjoining land.
Omega Warrington Limited (OWL) and Redrow Homes Ltd have been granted Reserved Matters (detailed) planning approval for Redrow to build a mix of 158 new homes on Omega South.
Meanwhile plans for a further 86 new Redrow homes on neighbouring land are still under consideration.
The Redrow scheme will become phase two of a residential development on Omega South that will, through multiple housebuilders, delivering up to 1,100 much-needed homes for local people over the next ten years.
Construction for phase one of 200 homes is already underway by Miller Homes.
6 Comments
Not to mention the Water Voles that Cheshire Wildlife Trust found but not the developers Ecologists 🙁
Reported to planners but haven’t heard yet – if you have any concerns about developments please contact the Warrington Nature Conservation Forum and we will see what we can do. Nature Conservation in Warrington is getting hammered so LIKE our Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Warrington-Nature-Conservation-Forum-110886079024465/ and our http://www.wncf.co.uk and see what we are up to and how you can take part before the borough is under concrete.
You pays your money to get the answers that best suit you. If the largest bean counters in the country are doing so regularly it is almost the norm, why would other “experts” pass up the opportunities when they arise?
Can you put that in plain English?
Thanks Gary for highlighting this and well done Geoff for objecting – it really will give WNCF more credibility and be taken more seriously. It is perfectly possible to build new homes / developments and maintain some ecological features – unfortunately in this case the planning officer who unilaterally decided the development could go ahead was railroaded (in my opinion) by OWL’s planning consultant perhaps due to inexperience or because WBC are chasing the new homes premium. Disheartening to say the least as all the mitigation agreed at outline stage has been disreagred because OWL wanted to maximize the plots value by removing woodland as their planning consultant admits in the planning documents which meant the trees (and the watercourse) had to go. Lets hope people remember come election time.
Concur and sympathise entirely with you Barbara. Yet another example of WBC failing to enforce the conditions of the original application. Reserved matters should not change the original basis of consent.