MORE than 190 letters of objection have been received over controversial plans to demolish the Lymm Hotel and replace it with a care home, apartments and day nursery.
Neighbours of the hotel packed into a meeting of Lymm’s Parish Council’s Planning sub-committee meeting earlier this week, where members were due to consider the proposal to demolish the 62 bed Lymm Hotel and replace it with 52 retirement apartments, a 72 bed care home and a 120 place nursery.
After a short presentation from the local group and a discussion,it was clear that the Parish Council shared the residents view.
Councillors have now submitted a detailed statement of objection on the basis that the plan is “overdeveloped, overbearing, poorly designed, lacks car parking provision, detrimental to heritage, will severely disrupt the highway with road clutter and increased vehicle movement. They have also drawn attention to serious inaccuracies in the developers’ claims on public transport access and challenged the statement on the heritage value of the hotel.”
Warrington Borough Council has already been bombarded by over 190 objections from local residents and councillors.
Cllr Anna Fradgley commented afterwards: “This is a classic case of developmental greed overriding the needs of the community. Developers really should look at how plans affect the neighbourhood and not just their bottom line.
“We welcome appropriate development in Lymm, that is why the Neighbourhood Plan group has been set up. But it has to be done properly, based on residential and business needs.”
Local resident Alan Williams added: “We are not opposed to the principle of development, sad as it would be to lose the hotel, but there is so much wrong with this application that it is hard to know where to start. It is a typical example of trying to squeeze every last drop out of the site while wheeling in a series of “experts” who make inaccurate or untenable claims on topics like parking and accessibility of public transport which in reality is just not there.
“We are relying on the council’s officers to see past this to the very real planning issues around massing, parking and traffic that run right through this application.”
Residents are also challenging the developers’ assertion that they have identified a need for more nursery places in Lymm.
Hotel neighbour Catherine Catchpole added: “ A quick telephone call to several of the local nurseries was enough to establish that Lymm is already well served. All the ones we called had places and of course the Village Hall nursery actually closed recently due to lack of demand.”
According to notices posted at the hotel on February 9 residents now have a further 21 days from that date to add their objections to the 140+ that have already been submitted.
Residents have set up a website to keep neighbours informed.
alanlymm.wixsite.com/lymmhotelplans
How the new building would look
