EXCLUSIVE: When did Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service request a new screening opinion for controversial Saughall Massie greenbelt fire station?

EXCLUSIVE: When did Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service request a new screening opinion for controversial Saughall Massie greenbelt fire station?

photo 15 Land off Saughall Massie Road Saughall Massie 13th December 2016 SAVE OUR GREEN BELT SAY NO TO THE FIRE STATION banner

EXCLUSIVE: When did Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service request a new screening opinion for controversial Saughall Massie greenbelt fire station?

                                   

photo 15 Land off Saughall Massie Road Saughall Massie 13th December 2016 SAVE OUR GREEN BELT SAY NO TO THE FIRE STATION banner
Land off Saughall Massie Road Saughall Massie 13th December 2016 SAVE OUR GREEN BELT SAY NO TO THE FIRE STATION banner

Last week Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service applied to Wirral Council for a screening opinion for land off Saughall Massie Road it wants for a new fire station.

The screening opinion application (SCR/17/00313) which can be viewed on Wirral Council’s website by entering the application number is identical to an opinion request Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service submitted last year.

Screening opinions do not go through the normal planning application process as there is a legal requirement that they area dealt within weeks. In response to a screening opinion request last year Wirral Council deemed the greenbelt location was not “environmentally sensitive”.

Although plans for a fire station are opposed by the local Conservative ward councillors in Moreton West and Saughall Massie ward, Wirral Council’s Leader Cllr Phil Davies has made his support for a fire station at this greenbelt location public.

Cllr Phil Davies represents Birkenhead and Tranmere ward. In 2015, the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority chose to transfer land to Wirral Council valued at £250,000 to £325,000 for a nominal sum for a youth club called the Hive Youth Zone. The Hive is expected to become operational later this year in a marginal Green/Labour seat.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s former Deputy Chief Executive Kieran Timmins previously offered Wirral Council the land for the Hive Youth Zone in Birkenhead a land swap for the land the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service wanted (then in Greasby). Although this offer was not taken up.

Following public opposition at Greasby the land (owned by Wirral Council) was withdrawn by Wirral Council. A planning application just before Christmas for the land at Saughall Massie was turned down by a 7:6 vote of councillors.

If a planning application for a new fire station at Saughall Massie is approved, Wirral Council look set to gain an estimated £300,000 windfall from the sale of the land. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service have received a £1.5 million grant from the government towards the costs of the fire station merger proposals on the Wirral.

If you click on any of the buttons below, you’ll be doing me a favour by sharing this article with other people.

Author: John Brace

New media journalist from Birkenhead, England who writes about Wirral Council. Published and promoted by John Brace, 134 Boundary Road, Bidston, CH43 7PH. Printed by UK Webhosting Ltd t/a Tsohost, 113-114 Buckingham Avenue, Slough, Berkshire, England, SL1 4PF.

8 thoughts on “EXCLUSIVE: When did Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service request a new screening opinion for controversial Saughall Massie greenbelt fire station?”

  1. And were still going on about this new fire station, this is how they do it, keep putting applications in, till they wear you down and you give in,
    The Council could get a £300,000 win fall for the land, but who paid £6 million for the hive to be built? which I’m sure could have gone to better causes.

    1. As it states on the Hive’s website, the £6 million came from Wirral Borough Council, Bibby Line Group, The Johnson Foundation, Lord Leverhulme’s Charitable Trust, UBS, Linbury Trust, OnSide, The Queen’s Trust, St James’s Place Foundation, Holroyd Foundation, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) NHS Trust.

      In answer to your other point, applicants are not allowed to just keep on making the same planning application (as really speaking the appeals process to the Planning Inspectorate is for that) and it’d be a waste of everyone’s time, so if Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service submit a further planning application it’ll have to be revised from their previous application.

  2. G’day John

    Does “Phil the Very Very Very Very Slimy, Elusive, LYING Dill” ever have an original idea or just copy his hero Uncle Joe?

    In the rubbish paper over Kev and Stella’s Stinking Stagnant Wirral Waters

    Liverpool council backed city project fronted by developer with £2.5m judgements against him

    Ooroo

    James

    Ther is no picking between them.

  3. G’day John

    When you think they couldn’t get any lower than the sewer at their golf resort.

    Their ex-local rubbish propaganda sheet that wouldn’t report on Wirral “Funny” Bizz

    Anger after Wirral Council submits plan to demolish Girtrell Court

    I bet “Missus bilong “The Pretend Friend” “Nurse “Girtrell” Rat” celebrated with the little welsh egit at his cheap cider club.

    Ooroo

    James

  4. G’day John

    I do hope their ex-local rubbish propaganda sheet paid you for using your name to sell copy.

    They used you “Tarrantino”

    Brace
    yourselves…KitKats may taste different from next week

    Ooroo

    James

    They do have a cheek John.

      1. G’day Mate

        You are just too nice.

        They say

        Brace
        yourselves…KitKats may taste different from next week

        One thing is for sure nothing will have changed at wirral bc next week.

        Sam old same old…………………

        Pitiful liars.

        Ooroo

        James

        You get better with age John but far too nice.

Comments are closed.