ALMOST 1,000 people have signed MP Helen Jones’ petition calling for the Peel Hall site to be removed from Warrington Borough Council’s Local Plan.
With the plan due to be published on Monday, the Warrington North MP has again called on the council to axe the site from the document.
Expert advice is that it can be done, she says, although she believes borough officers are against the idea.
“They should remember that they do not make policy – councillors do,” she said.
Her petition, calling on the council to commit itself to keeping Peel Hall free from all development, can be found at : https://helenjonesmp.co.uk/peel-hall-petition-to-be-submitted-to-warrington-borough-council
Ms Jones hopes to present the petition to the council leader and chief executive, She said: “This is, once again, a great response from local people. Since the petition was launched a month ago the signatures have flooded in. The Planning Inspector said that local people should be consulted – well, this is a huge and unequivocal expression of their views.
“The campaign has been long and hard and people understand that whilst the site remains in the local plan the danger of the developers succeeding with an application remains a real possibility.
“The site should never have been included in the local plan in the first place. At the time, I was assured that it was the best way to rebuff the developers but in reality it left the door open for them when it could have been firmly shut.
“Governments of all colours say that they are keen to ensure local residents have a greater input into planning decisions. I can think of no other example here in Warrington where local people have engaged so completely with the process over such a long period of time. This is no 52 per cent-48 per cent split of opinion, it is a massive 99 per cent-1 per cent rejection of any development on the site.
“I am told that council officers are resisting the calls to remove the site from the local plan. They should remember that they do not make policy – councillors do. Councillors, both borough and parish, in the wards surrounding Peel Hall have supported the campaign to save the site from development and fought elections on the promise they would do so.
“Both Winwick parish council and Poulton with Fearnhead parish council are calling for the site to be removed from the plan.
“I understand that expert advice says that the site can be removed successfully from the local plan. So with local borough and parish councillors supporting the overwhelming majority of the public the message is clear – come on Warrington Borough Council, let’s get on with it.”
Peel Hall: the last green space in Warrington North
1,000 sign petition to save Peel Hall from development
66 Comments
6 Comments
Most pointless petition ever. If the Council don’t include the Peel Hall site in the Plan, you’ll be looking at the loss of more green belt elsewhere to cope with the shortfall. Nimbyism at its worst in full force here methinks. The site isn’t even green belt, and is more pallatible with national policy than the swathes of green belt being talked about in the PDO version of the plan.
And Helen Jones should realise she doesn’t make national policy, the Conservatives do. Maybe she should do more explaining why she voted down the Brexit amendments even though she was given a majority mandate by the Warrington North electorate to leave. She only rears her head up when something comes ups that the public may agree with her on.
Hi Sniffer, let me address your points.
1. Peel Hall is included in the draft plan to make it easier for the Council to include green belt. Your comments only make sense if you approve of that approach. I don’t. Nobody I know approves of it. That green belt was put there just after WW2 and should be treated as sacrosanct
2. Peel Hall itself has been the subject of repeated failed development bids for 30 years. They’ve all failed because it’s nonsense – it’s a landlocked site, and traffic congestion – already hideous in this area – would be dramatically worsened
3. Peel Hall runs alongside the M62. We don’t build housing estates next to motorways, especially in areas already subject to Air Quality Management Area challenges
Good news that the community committee members against the development are being acknowledged at last. There are some real stars who have work so hard to fight against Satnam’s proposals and they have built up a fantastic team and shed loads of knowledge and research which won’t go to waste.
I would really like to know what the simple solution is that the Borough and Parish Councillors can evoke to remove Peel Hall Satnam Land from the plan and why have they kept quiet about it?
It sounds like a bit of a magic wand or a Peel Hall Rabbit out of the Hat.
Hopefully the committee will be briefed so that they can lobby their Councillors (Borough & Parish).
Usually if it sounds too good to be true then it usually is but I’m willing to be proved wrong in this case.
That’s the problem Geoff. There is no simple solution. The Peel Hall application got thrown out by an inspector because of how shoddy and basic the Satnam application was. They clearly thought they could turn up and walk away with a permission. It didn’t get refused because of the notion of developing the site. National policy doesn’t give any basis for not using the site. If the Council sees as necessary for not removing even more Green Belt before using Peel Hall, and they can prove the numbers they’re aiming for, the site should be developed ahead of any green belt (which this site isn’t)
I think you see it clearly in all you say – they failed through their incompetence – but they are learning all the time just as we are. It is so reminiscent of the Rixton Clay Pigeon Shoot. That was a complete and utter farce – I won’t write any more as Satnam my pick up on some tips when they read this as they will be reading everything associated with the case. I believe that they have already had preliminary talks with out planners so that the can come up with a more robust plan. Colin has been doing this since at least 1999 but failing. Tomorrow is the publication of the WBC Grand Plan – will Peel Hall be in there? I think we know what the answer will be to that one and then we have the Exec Meeting at the Town Hall one week later – I wonder how the vote will go? There will be a big protest outside – I believe there will be a contingent from the South of Warrington about the City concept next to the junction of the M56 and who know who else will be there? So North and South of Warrington will be combining on one issues at least me thinks.