VILLAGERS have lost a long-running planning battle over proposals to build luxury homes on a historic military camp site in the Green Belt.
Warrington Borough Council’s development management committee has approved plans for 25 four and five bedroomed houses on the former HMS Gosling site off Lady Lane, Croft.
More than 400 residents had objected and many packed into the Town Hall to hear the committee debate the issue.
But despite strong objections from local councillors Les Hoyle and Chris Vobe and from Croft Parish Council, the committee granted permission to developers Elan Real Estate.
Councillors – who had visited the site previously – were told the developer had offered £30,000 towards the cost of highway improvements near St Lewis’ RC Primary School and £240,000 towards the cost of affordable housing elsewhere in the borough.
The site is said to be the last of a number of wartime military camps that once existed in the area.
The parish argued there was no need for more housing in Croft and no sewage or gas supplies to the site, which is home to a wide variety of wildlife.
They believed there could be road safety issues arising from an unsatisfactory access to the site and that the development could lead to increased flooding in Lady Lane.
Additional housing could also exacerbate parking problems at St Lewis’ School.
Planning officers recommended approval and pointed out that although the site was in the Green Belt, the houses would replace existing campsite buildings, some of which were higher than the houses would be.
The planning consent is subject to a number of conditions, including archaeological work on the site, land remediation, landscaping and a scheme of tree/hedge protection.
After the meeting, Cllr Vobe said: “This is a shameful decision which once again shows a planning department that is content to ride roughshod over Croft.
“These houses are not the kind we need and will price the sons and daughters of local people out of the village.
“Inept council officers flew in the face of local residents’ wishes, steered the meeting from beginning to end, and acted as a second voice for the developer.”
Cllr Vobe said he would be seeking a meeting with the borough council’s interim chief executive, asking him to investigate a lack of impartiality by planning officials.
Cllr Hoyle said: “It was a disappointing decision. Unfortunately, recent changes in national planning policy have made it more difficult for the council to refuse permission on previously developed sites.”
Pictured (right): Cllr Hoyle and Cllr Vobe.
Villagers lose homes battle
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
7 Comments
So, what did residents expect! Just another example of bias towards developers at the expense of the quality of life of residents. The local Councillors must feel devasted by the lack of support from their colleagues. Surely the Planning Committee members take a lead from local representatives who have been campaigning for refusal of this application. Big brother again rides roughshod over local people and not a good decision for the planning process.
No – members should take a lead from professional officers who know planning law. It's easy to rant and stir up residents but its no use if you haven't got a leg to stand on – at least Les Hoyle can see the true position, even if it is from changes brought in by his govenrment
Eagle as someone you have named above I fail to see where your evidence is.
I volunteered to stand on the DMC committee and agreed that I would use my own judgement in any decisions that I made. AS a member of the committee I am bound to hear to arguments for and against an application, note the professional advice from all the offices both planning, environmental, highways, environmental agency, residents and other local representatives etc.
I agree to show no bias and not to pass a judgement prior to any meeting. In fact when approached by people to ask what my view is going to be I have refused to tell them – in one or two cases they have persisted and I have had to emphasise strongly that we are not allowed to give an opinion until we are in the room on the night and it is the appropriate time to do so. If we I ever do express an opinion say it will be because I feel passionately for or against and application and then I will declare an interest and stand down. This has only happened once in two years and last week Cllr Hoyle stood down from the committee for such a reason.
Although the planning law has changed since I studied the rudiments on my Geography degree course over 25 years ago the principles still apply and we receive training and notification of any updates etc.
As a member I know that whatever decision I make there will be people who agree with it and those who will not. Those who do not will naturally cast aspersions about my decision but that is accepted and is their right.
In this example I believe that all planning committee members visited the site in question and in fact a couple made very special efforts to do so – they all studied the files and any other information that was available. A large number of questions were made on the evening and as Cllr Hoyle points out ‘recent changes in national planning policy have made it more difficult for the council to refuse permission on previously developed sites’ as councillors we have to abide by the planning framework rules and be seen to do so.
At the end of the day the vote was 8 for and 1 against.
I believe you are incorrect councillor tony Higgins was not at this meeting and your comment could be seen as libelous to that councillor
By the way I can confirm that Cllr Tony Higgins sent his apologies to the chair and they were noted, he did not attend on Thursday.
Tony is not referring to my post but presumably it is also the one that I was replying to. For some reason best known to the moderator it has been removed and at the end of the day they have the final say, if presumably it does not meet the terms and conditions that everyone signs up to.
Geoff/ Tony. One of the problems with this is that it comes days after John Cross had an uncontested application turned down to make life easier for his disabled wife because – as Andy Farrall put it their application ‘does not amount to the very special circumstances needed to outweigh the harm to Green Belt’. Yet as soon as a developer is involved it seems that these things are waved through.
Given the many many issues with the planning department in recent years, it’s hardly surprising people don’t trust them, nor your ‘consultations’, which often appear to pay lip service to democratic processes. You as councillors had your chance to send the right message to the planning department after the facts of the destruction of records came to light and the people involved in that and the cover up. And yet you did nothing.
If I were in the planning department, I might conclude that I was untouchable no mater what I did. And you can hardly complain that the people of Warrington do not trust the system. Especially when one day they are told ‘Green Belt comes first’ then ‘there’s nothing we can do about it’ a couple of days later. The major difference seems to be the fact that in one case the application is from a developer. You might argue that is irrelevant. History suggests to me however that it isn’t.
The bottom line is that you cannot complain that there is a breakdown in the relationship between the council and residents on planning issues. You, as councillors, had a chance to repair that relationship and you didn’t take it. So unfortunately you now have to live with the consequences. Especially when the next major issue crops up, possibly with the Peel Hall development.
Couldn’t agree with you more, greyman. When are these councillors going to wake up and realise that the people of Warrington have got NO FAITH in their planning department? Geoff Settle is totally naive if he really believes that the democratic process is observed. The officers just do whatever the developer wants and that’s a fact. What’s next, Geoff? A thousand homes on Peel Hall? You and your Labour colleagues should be ashamed of yourselves. At least Vobe and Hoyle have had the guts to stand up and be counted.