Category: Wirral Council

Tollemache Road greenfield or 12 houses? Planning Committee decides tonight

Tollemache Road greenspace or 12 houses? Planning Committee decides tonight

Tollemache Road greenfield photo 1Tollemache Road greenfield photo 2
Tollemache Road greenfield photo 3

Tollemache Road greenfield or 12 houses? Planning Committee decides tonight

                          

You can click on the photos above for more detailed versions. Earlier this year in a similar case, despite Cllr Ian Lewis’s best efforts, the Planning Committee voted 7 votes to 6 against local resident’s wishes to approve building a play area on some greenspace in Leasowe.

This planning application is for building a dozen houses on this field. The officer’s report to the Planning Committee recommends refusal as they believe it to conflict with policies HS4, GR6, CS42, CS6, CS32 and the National Planning Policy Framework. Normally such an application would be decided by officers. However Cllr George Davies (the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Housing and Engagement) has taken it out of their hands and asked for the Planning Committee to decide it instead as Cllr George Davies thinks that the proposed development would “help to address identified housing needs”.

This is unusual in itself as generally this is only done by councillors representing the ward the planning application which in this case is Bidston & St. James ward. Cllr George Davies represents the adjoining Claughton ward. A number of local residents in Bidston and St. James ward have objected to the planning application.

Council officers claim that retaining this open space was a condition of a previous planning consent and that removing it would set a bad precedent. There is a demand for two bedroom properties in the area, however the Planning Committee only last month approved Keepmoat’s application for building 125 houses (a mix of two and three bedroom properties) in the nearby Laird Street area.

The demand for two-bedroom rental properties in the area is because of the “bedroom tax”*/spare room subsidy* (*choose which term you prefer depending on your politics). Although it may go some way to meet this need if approved, building houses there is unpopular with local residents who want the greenspace to stay for the many reasons outlined in the officer’s report.

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Planning Committee decides tonight on Rampworx’s plans for a £6m indoor skateboard park in Bidston

Planning Committee decides tonight on Rampworx’s plans for a £6m indoor skateboard park in Bidston

Planning Committee decides tonight on Rampworx’s plans for a £6m indoor skateboard park in Bidston

                    

Wirral Council’s Planning Committee are tonight expected to approve plans for a £6 million indoor skateboard park in Bidston. Rampworx Youth Village 2000 Ltd, who already run an existing skatepark in Netherton, Liverpool hope to build it on Valley Road between Wirral Tennis and Leisure Centre’s AstroTurf pitch and the Valley Road Business Park.

The plans which are recommended for approval by planning officers also include office space, a café, “flexible learning spaces”, business support for young entrepreneurs and car parking. Rampworx forecast that once up and running it will attract two thousand visitors a week and will be aim to tackle unemployment and helping sixteen to eighteen year olds who are not in education, employment or training. Rampworx have been working with Wirral Council’s “Special Initiatives Team” in the planning of the project. Wirral Council own the land on which Rampworx want to build the skateboard park.

If planning permission is given, Rampworx will be applying for funding from Sport England and the National Lottery to complete it. The plans and supporting documentation are on Wirral Council’s website.

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Refusal by Planning Committee for Wallasey Village Tesco Store is appealed

Refusal by Planning Committee for Wallasey Village Tesco Store is appealed

Refusal by Planning Committee for Wallasey Village Tesco Store is appealed

                       

In August 2013, Wirral Council’s Planning Committee refused an application for a Tesco in Wallasey Village by 11 votes to 2. An appeal against the Planning Committee’s decision has been accepted by the Planning Inspectorate but it’ll be months before the Planning Inspectorate come to a final decision.

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Incredible: Wirral “spending freeze” Council overpay £½ million to Colas in ten Colas payment blunders

Incredible: Wirral “spending freeze” Council overpay £½ million to Colas in ten Colas payment blunders

Incredible: Wirral “spending freeze” Council overpay £½ million to Colas in ten Colas payment blunders

                                        

Wirral Council Colas credit invoice half a million pounds

The invoice above (which you can click on for a more readable version) received by Wirral Council from Colas in April 2012 showed that while they had a spending freeze on non-essential expenditure that they’d managed to overpay Colas to the tune of £548,734.16! Incredibly ten separate overpayments to Colas were made ranging from £4,660.51 to a staggering £122,330.62.

Although the £½ million credit will count towards later Colas invoices, it makes you wonder if Wirral Council really are as hard up financially as they claim? Wirral Council stamped the invoice from Colas advising them of the £548,734.16 as “paid”, perhaps they don’t have a stamp for overpaid?

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West Kirby and Upton Fire Stations face axe in Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority savings proposals

West Kirby and Upton Fire Stations face axe in Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority savings proposals

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West Kirby and Upton Fire Stations face axe in Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority savings proposals

                           

Last weeks Regeneration and Environment Policy and Performance Committee spent nearly thirty-four minutes discussing Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service cuts without mentioning the specifics of what has been already been agreed by the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority. The debate starts about two minutes into the meeting.

On 3rd September Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority (Wirral Council’s represented on this body by Cllr Denise Roberts, Cllr Lesley Rennie, Cllr Steve Niblock and Cllr Jean Stapleton) agreed the following recommendations:

1) The Authority must identify strategic mergers that allow operational response to be maintained whilst improving community and firefighter facilities and reducing costs.

Having assessed the location of the newer stations and the operational response needs of the service the Chief Fire Officer has identified that the two key geographic options where strategic mergers should be considered following consultation are:-

a) Wirral:

Merging West Kirby and Upton to create a much improved station with extensive community facilities at Greasby, which would allow response standards to be maintained whilst improving the capability for community partnerships.

In addition, consideration might be given to the opportunities for the future development of Heswall. This site is commercially attractive and working with private/public partners may create opportunities to improve facilities or relocate services.

….
(ii) Request the Chief Fire Officer to report back with detailed proposals on:-
(a) Options for Station mergers in Wirral

I presume by report back it means to the next meeting of the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority on the 22nd October 2013. The Regeneration and Environment Policy and Performance Committee did agree to invite Chief Fire Officer Dan Stephens to a future meeting to “highlight the potential impact of the Government proposals on the residents of Wirral” but ultimately the decision on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s budget for next year is in the hands of the local councillors on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority (current composition fifteen Labour, two Lib Dem and one Conservative). Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority could decide to raise Council Tax to offset the need to make these kinds of cuts to Wirral’s fire cover. If Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority propose (when they set their budget in February 2014) raising the amount of Council Tax spent on fire services by more than 2% compared to last year (which is not enough to offset the decrease in government grant) then it would trigger a Council Tax referendum of Merseyside residents. Currently an assumed 2% rise is in their financial calculations so it seems likely that the proposed cuts on Wirral will go ahead unless savings are found elsewhere.

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