PEEL Hall took centre stage at the public hearings into Warrington’s Local Plan at the Halliwell Jones Stadium yesterday, with objectors stating the proposed plan was not sound because of “lack of detail.”
Campaigners from the Save Peel Hall group and residents from Winwick read out statements at the hearing.
Save Peel Hall campaigners stepped up to ensure that residents’ concerns were recognised in the Local Plan discussions taking place.
Campaigners David Sawyer and Jim Sullivan participated in discussions with the Planning Inspectorate, Warrington Council and developer Satnam.
Jim said: “While the Outline Planning Permission can’t be revoked by the Local Plan, it is still important to ensure that developers honour their original plans and don’t seek to expand on the permission which has been granted, and that the views of residents are taken into consideration”.
He said the planning permission was for a development ‘not to exceed 1,200 dwellings’. Warrington Council had listed this in their draft Local Plan as ‘up to 1,200 dwellings’– slightly different wording but the same meaning. Satnam, however, had suggested wording which used the phrase ‘a minimum of 1,200 dwellings’. The Save Peel Hall team highlighted this and a lengthy discussion followed, in which Satnam’s lawyer, Neil Cameron, tried to make a case for the amended wording.
Jim added: “This might sound like splitting hairs but it really isn’t. If Satnam’s wording had been left as is, there could have been confusion in future and perhaps even more homes might have been approved. If anything the allocation should be reduced, because the Public Inquiry was held before Parkside was approved and the Chester University site on Crab Lane taken forward, both of which will have a huge impact on congestion in the area”.
Meanwhile, local resident Stuart Mann and Parish Councillor James Heron spoke on behalf of the residents of Winwick in relation to Peel Hall
They said Peel Hall was part of Winwick and had been part of their village and parish for a very long time -long before the artificial boundary of the M62 was made.
“It is as much a part of Winwick as Winwick Quay, the Winwick Park Estate or Hollins Park hospital.
“It is as much a part of our village and our parish as large parts of Omega, to the west and over the M62 are considered part of Burtonwood.
“The signs placed by WBC on the A49 by Populars Avenue to the west and Mill Lane to the north of the proposed development clearly attest that Peel Hall is in The Parish of Winwick and the residents of our village know that and experience that in both positive and negative ways every day.
“This is fact-based upon parish boundaries, evidenced by the attendance of Winwick Parish Councillors here today.”
Stuart said: “Personally, as the son of the former postmaster and newsagent of Winwick, one of my many paper rounds each day was to deliver to Birch Avenue, Radley and Mill Lane. No one ever told my dad that Peel Hall was not in Winwick nor that it was ‘Urban’ in its nature.
“Along with the Swan, Winwick Post Office on Myddleton lane, before it was closed down in the early 2000s, banked the money for the Plough Inn on Mill Lane. It was responsible for the pensions of those who lived on those streets mentioned above.
“The proposed Peel Hall development and all that it brings will immediately and directly affect the village where we live.
Whilst I know Warrington Borough Council has classed Peel Hall as within the Urban part of the local plan, like other Urban classed areas such as Fiddlers Ferry or Six56 it is very difficult for the residents of Winwick to comprehend why Peel Hall has been classed this way.
“It is considered that the inadequate engagement process undertaken by WBC with regards to the local plan has done nothing to educate and improve awareness as to why a part of our village has been classed as Urban when we as a village have been classed as an outlying area.”
He added: “The residents of Winwick would ask the hearing to consider their concerns that the infrastructure proposals put forward for the Peel Hall development are inadequate and not far reaching enough to mitigate the serious impact upon our village.
“As has been mentioned in previous hearing sessions with regards to other ‘Urban areas’ it will be the Winwick local infrastructure an ‘outlying area’ that will have to deal with the challenges the development of 1200 houses may bring.
“This is a continued failing of the manner in which the location has not been considered as part of the village as a whole.
“We believe that NO adequate consideration or planning has been made to adapt or improve the roads of Delph Lane, Myddleton Lane, Waterworks Lane and Golborne Road.
“As the village sits on the boundary with a neighbouring authority it must be noted that the SHBC approved site at Parkside in NLW is also less than a mile away from these same roads and vehicle from that site will use the village roads, and the A49.
“At the same time please consider that Peel Hall is NOT the only proposed development within the village boundary.
“Winwick has also had a site allocated for upwards of 130 homes as part of the outlying areas of the local plan.
“According to the current plans the majority of residents who reside within the Peel Hall development will have to utilise the Winwick road infrastructure and the previously mentioned roads to join both the M62 and the M6.”
“It is both a faster and a shorter distance to join both of these major routes for the proposed 1100 homes who under current plans are expected to leave the site onto Mill lane, than any other suggested route to these highways.
“This could mean an additional 2200 vehicles leaving Peel Hall and travelling through the centre of the village. 2200 vehicles driving on roads, the basic layout of which have not been updated since the 1800s using junctions within the village that by WBC own assessments are already classed as ‘red’ or over capacity.”
“Peel Hall will mean up to 1200 new homes looking to use the limited resources the village has. There is only one small shop, no doctors, no dentist, no healthcare centre, no post office and a primary school already at capacity and extremely limited in its ability to expand to absorb any increase in pupil numbers due to its location.
“Whilst we understand that the Peel Hall plans contain the addition of a new primary school the timeline of its development is such that there will be a need for children of new residents to apply and attend Winwick CofE primary school.
“The residents of Winwick would state that this inadequate consideration of the impact both Winwick Park and Peel Hall would have on our small local school will mean parents having to travel further to take their children to school, mean more vehicles on our roads and greater pollution.
“Overall the residents of Winwick would state that the nature and composure of the local plan in relation to Peel Hall for this session but also for other areas around Warrington contains too many unknowns. The criteria for locations to be included such as Peel Hall is unknown.
“We believe the proposed plan is not sound because of a lack of detail.”
Council accused of “woeful engagement” as hearing resumes into Local Plan
