Developers told to remove “mud and barrel” wall at Winwick

WARRINGTON Borough Council has served notice on property developers Satnam requiring them to remove a “mud and barrel wall” that has been constructed at Birch Avenue, Winwick.

The move follows complaints from nearby residents and members of Warrington Nature Conservation Forum (WNCF).
They claim a wooden fence on the site has been replaced by a “mud wall” of soil and barrels.
WNCF have welcomed the council’s swift action.
Dr Paul Speak, the group’s secretary, said: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A wooden fence being replaced by a mud wall of soil and barrels.”
He said potential development sites in Warrington were regularly being cleared of trees and habitat ahead of any application and with no regard to wildlife.
WNCH chairman Geoff Settle said: “I am pleased to see a section 215 being served. It enables a planning authority to serve a notice if they judge the condition of land or buildings to be harmful to the area. A typical Section 215 notice is to require the tidying up of waste on open land.”
Mr Settle said he had been contacted by local residents who had taken photographs of the mud wall and sent them to the Environment Agency.
He said he had seen an email from a borough council planning enforcement officer indicating that the notice required that the barrels, rubble and other waste be removed from the land at Birch Avenu and that the earth mounds be seeded with grass.
Environmental Protection were also investigating potential contamination issues
But it was likely Satnam would appeal against the notice, meaning the issue was unlikely to be resolved in the near future. He considered it remarkable that the company would appeal while in the middle of a major public inquiry.