Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service recommend councillors on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority appeal refusal of planning permission for Saughall Massie Fire Station to Planning Inspectorate

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service recommend councillors on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority appeal refusal of planning permission for Saughall Massie Fire Station to Planning Inspectorate

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service recommend councillors on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority appeal refusal of planning permission for Saughall Massie Fire Station to Planning Inspectorate

Planning Committee meeting (Wirral Council) 15th December 2016 councillors voting to refuse planning permission for a fire station at Saughall Massie L to R Cllr Pat Cleary, Cllr Stuart Kelly, Cllr Ian Lewis, Cllr Kathy Hodson, Cllr Eddie Boult, Cllr David Elderton
Planning Committee meeting (Wirral Council) 15th December 2016 councillors voting to refuse planning permission for a fire station at Saughall Massie L to R Cllr Pat Cleary, Cllr Stuart Kelly, Cllr Ian Lewis, Cllr Kathy Hodson, Cllr Eddie Boult, Cllr David Elderton

Last month councillors on Wirral Council’s Planning Committee rejected (by 7 votes in favour of refusal to 6 votes against refusal) a planning application for a fire station in Saughall Massie on land in the greenbelt on land off Saughall Massie Road.

Following the refusal of planning permission (on grounds of impact on residential amenity and on the greenbelt), a recommendation has been made by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service to councillors on the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority (who will meet in public) next Thursday afternoon (26th January 2017) to appeal the refusal of planning permission to the Planning Inspectorate and to submit a revised planning application.

The report to councillors on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority criticises what ward councillor Councillor Chris Blakeley said at the Planning Committee meeting last month. The criticism relates to remarks the councillor made at the meeting about Upton Fire Station being a “fall-back” position, comments about the impact of a new fire station at Saughall Massie would have both on Arrowe Park Hospital and also what Cllr Blakleley stated about response times.

If the recommendation is approved by councillors on the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority the costs of producing the documentation for a revised planning application are estimated in the report as “in the region of £56,000” (which would include a detailed lighting impact assessment). The costs of legal advice, preparation and representation for an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate are estimated to cost between £36,500 and £49,000.

The item is the last item on the agenda (item 9) and is expected to be held in public starting at 1.00 pm on the 26th January 2017 in the Liverpool Suite, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters, Bridle Rd, Bootle, L30 4YD.

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Former Cllr Crabtree receives 12 week suspended sentence for phone call

Former Cllr Crabtree receives 12 week suspended sentence for phone call

Former Cllr Crabtree receives 12 week suspended sentence for phone call

                                                     

Cllr Jim Crabtree (February 2016)
Cllr Jim Crabtree (February 2016)

Yesterday, former Cllr Crabtree received a suspended 12 week prison term (suspended for a year) and a restraining order for what he said during a phone call to Cllr Louise Reece-Jones last year.

Continue reading “Former Cllr Crabtree receives 12 week suspended sentence for phone call”

Would you feel picked on if you had to make three journeys to renew a Blue Badge and then got a parking ticket?

Would you feel picked on if you had to make three journeys to renew a Blue Badge and then got a parking ticket?

Would you feel picked on if you had to make three journeys to renew a Blue Badge and then got a parking ticket?

                                  

Penalty Charge Notice
Penalty Charge Notice


Updated 17.1.2017 My wife received a letter stating that the parking ticket had been cancelled.

This is a tale of my wife’s dealings with Wirral Council over the past forty-eight hours.

Yesterday she went to the One Stop Shop in Conway Street, Birkenhead to renew her Blue Badge. Despite Wirral Council having proof on their records that she receives the high mobility component of DLA (which entitles her to a Blue Badge) the renewal was refused on two visits.

After she came home (upset) we both rang the Central Action and Duty Team (part of Wirral Council’s Social Services). After four minutes we were mysteriously cut off, so had to ring back and explain again. The person we were talking to said she would email the One Stop Shop and call us back.

We were called back at around 5.30 in the evening and it was suggested that she go back to the One Stop Shop today (which she did). She parked in the Oliver Street off-street car park displaying her Blue Badge.

While she was in the One Stop Shop (where her Blue Badge did get renewed at a cost to her of £10 (Wirral Council insisted they’d send it through the post)) at 10:19 am a civil enforcement officer (seemingly oblivious to her Blue Badge displayed) issued her with a Penalty Charge Notice allegedly for contravention code 40.

Contravention code 40 is for parking in an on-street disabled parking bay without displaying a valid disabled persons badge, where contravention code 87 is the one that should be used for off-street car parks.

It’s physically impossible for a car that the PCN states is in an off-street car park to be at the same time parked in an on street bay.

When asked for comment Wirral Council’s press office stated, “we can’t comment”.

However Leonora Brace said, “I don’t want them [Wirral Council] picking on me.”

So, there you go, has Wirral Council’s attitude changed? Are disabled adults just a cash cow to them? Or am I just getting angry because it’s my wife that they’re managing to upset? Or is this just as Wirral Council would put it, an example of a “private sector head with a public sector heart”?

Updated 15.1.2017 9 days after an appeal was submitted Wirral Council have been in touch on the 13.1.2017 stating that the case has been put on hold, will not progress further until a decision is made, but due to the high volumes of challenges this may take up to 4 weeks.

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Will a planning appeal over the Saughall Massie fire station fail due to incorrect legal advice to councillors?

Will a planning appeal over the Saughall Massie fire station fail due to incorrect legal advice to councillors?

                                                         

Originally this bundle was going to be published in a different way, but instead it will be published as an exclusive in serial form on this blog.

I’d better start by declaring an interest as the Appellant in First-tier Tribunal case EA/2016/0054, which is about an Environmental Information Regulations 2004 request for the estimates of capital costs involving a new fire station first at Greasby, then at Saughall Massie and the sale of fire stations at Upton and West Kirby.

Despite the bundle being 480 pages in total, there are hundreds of pages missing from it (such as the transcripts of the public meetings involved, communications between the 2nd Respondent (MFRA) and the 1st Respondent (ICO) etc).

Continue reading “Will a planning appeal over the Saughall Massie fire station fail due to incorrect legal advice to councillors?”