THE long running saga involving a housing development in the heart of Appleton Thorn village, has finally been given the green light thanks to “compromise talks” between the developers and local residents.
So successful were the compromise talks, members of Warrington’s planning committee were told by Cllr Ryan Bate it should be a precedent used more often.
The development by Bloor Homes off Stretton Road, will consist of terraced, semi detached and detached houses, varying from two to four bedrooms and including 22 “affordable” homes. All will be of one or two storeys.
Reducing the number of properties from 74,71 (80-90 had been originally proposed) will enable more green space to be provided along the Stretton Road frontage.
Local resident Kevin McAloon representing the Appleton Thorn CARE and NDP Groups, told the committee the vast majority of villagers had been appalled at the prospect of a development on their central field.
He said such a development would have a severe impact on the character and heritage of the rural village.
“We still question its inclusion in the Council’s SHLAA -making it available for development without any village consultation – and we still have serious doubts about its economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
Also the field as a historical Common, is protected by the Appleton & Lymm Enclosure Act and we urged last time for the Council to carry out an assessment on the legality of this development.
“At the last meeting, the Bloor Homes’ application was deferred, as it was recognized that removal of several houses from their plan might lead to a compromise on acceptable green space.
“This was welcomed as it allowed residents’ voices to be heard and gave villagers and Bloor Homes’ representatives more time to meet to find a workable solution. After two meetings with Bloor, the latest plan with 71 houses was
produced and following a recent CARE committee meeting and village consultation, overall, – villagers felt that a more acceptable tranche of green space has been provided.
“In addition to those raised in Appleton Parish Council’s representation, some important issues were raised however, and therefore village representatives would require further discussion with the developer, and if necessary the
Borough Council, on the following topics
* A pedestrian crossing with safety barriers opposite the Village Hall
* The composition, siting, safety, and security of the play area- we do not believe that the proposed location in the larger greenspace away from houses is safe. Also standard multicolored equipment is inappropriate in a rural setting.
* Green space ownership, cost contributions and maintenance; it is stated that the green space will be transferred to a management company but villagers would want to ensure that this will be for general public use, and in perpetuity
* Privacy for bungalows – a planning scheme for limiting new bungalows to a single storey
* Serious consideration and feedback about the implications of the Appleton & Lymm Enclosure Act
* Ensuring best safety practices around the new development during construction
* The allocation of section 106 money for local amenities, as indicated in our NDP
* And the possibility of a Joint Bloor/ Residents work group to deal with mutual issues arising from the ongoing build program
Cllr Ryan Bate welcomed the additional time to discuss the development with Bloor saying “time is a great healer” and it was “a postive precedent which should be used more often.”
He said that five years ago the majority of people were opposed to any development on the field, were as now it was fair to day the vast majority were in favour of the compromise.
A spokesperson for Bloor Homes described it as a family business and despite the compromise and the reduction of properties, there would be no compromise in quality and they were keen to continue engagement with the resident groups.
Local residents protesting at the green field site earlier this year
2 Comments
And Cllr Ryan Bates considers this compromise a success??? Good job there’s others fighting for Appleton green fields then instead of leaving it to his ‘campaign’!
I understand that the Appleton and Lymm Enclosure Act is dated 20 July 1768…..and whilst I am not familiar with the details of the Act, it is the case that most construction in the area, including the prison, has taken place since that date, so am not sure the relevance of the Act referred to by the campaigners. Found this rather interesting historical link regarding land ownership in the area: https://www.hslc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/141-5-Foster.pdf As an aside, who owned the land in question, was it a local person and had there been any discussion with local residents about selling that land to them….rather than to Bloors, thereby creating a piece of land owned by the local community. SHA makes an interesting point regarding compromise, the reality being that the developers are going to build on the land……..