New homes plan for historic camp site

NEW plans have been put forward for luxury homes on the site of an historic wartime naval camp at Warrington.
Developers Elan Homes want to build 25 four and five bedroomed houses on the former HMS Gosling site off Lady Lane, Croft
They submitted proposals last year – but withdrew them after a storm of protest from local residents and a strong objection from Croft Parish Council.
But the new plans have also angered local people – and again led to an objection from the parish council.
The objection is based on six grounds – Green Belt, the historic value of the only remaining military camp in the area, lack of need for more housing, lack of sewers or gas mains, road safety issues and damage to wildlife.
Cllr Chris Vobe says he has written to every resident of Croft urging them to add their names to a protest petition.
He said: “The fact is that Culcheth and Croft are already at risk of significant overdevelopment. It seems that these developers have little regard for our area, its heritage or its history.
“These houses are simply not the kind of properties that we need and the idea of siting a development like this on the Gosling site is nothing short of disrespectful. The developers who have filed these plans don’t have to live here or see the consequences – they will simply move on to their next project.”
Cllr Vobe said feedback from villagers suggested local people had lost faith in Town Hall planners.
“It is vital that Warrington Council makes a stand on this issue and says ‘no’ to the developers. The very notion of them granting approval for these homes is a recipe for war between local people and Town Hall officers.”
Cllr Les Hoyle said: “We are opposed to anything likely to lead to increased traffic. We believe this development would cause road safety hazards at the junction of Lady Lane and Mustard Lane, because of the proximity of St Lewis’ Primary School.”
Residents of Lady Lane say the site has remained fallow for 40 years and supports a wide range of wildlife, including bats, foxes, buzzards, newts, toads and various birds.
There are no sewage or gas mains and the only access to the site is potentially dangerous.
Picture: the rusting access gate to the former camp site.