Wirral Council planning officer decides environmental impact assessment not required for controversial Saughall Massie greenbelt fire station planning application
The Saughall Massie fire station saga, already as long as Beowulf but with less dragons, reached another stage in the planning decision-making process this week.
Wirral Council replied in a decision letter that their screening opinion is that an environmental impact assessment will not be required.
No date has been set for a Planning Committee decision on the revised linked planning application (after the first one was refused last year), but a decision is expected on this revised planning application by mid-September 2017.
The nearby Girtrell Court site received permission for demolition in late April 2017. The Girtrell Court site nearby (although it does not have main road access) is roughly the same size as land Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority want in the greenbelt for their new fire station.
Applications for planning permission in the greenbelt can be refused if other suitable alternative brownfield sites are available.
One of the justifications for a new fire station in Saughall Massie is the proposed Hoylake Golf Resort.
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If this goes through it will have a severe impact on the area where at least 3 roads are 2 way and narrow despite having 40 & 50 mph speed limits going down to 30 mph at there ends. There is also o junior school at the west Kirby end of saughall massie lane as well as the proposed site right next door to old age pensioners bungalows to the left of the proposed site so for the council officer to say there is no environmental impact assessment suggests that councillors & the fire authority are pressurising the officer to ignore some of the previous points raised.
The proposed Golf resort is pie in the sky and will never happen as the objectors will see to that and make it near impossible for any developers to proceed.
My own view is that Wirral Council is acting like a horse with blinkers pulling a barge along the canal.
If they thought about it they would realise from the planning application submitted that if Saughall Massie Fire Station is approved then Upton Fire Station closes (I’m assuming West Kirby Fire Station closes whatever happens).
I don’t want to get into rather technical legal jargon, but this 2015 legal case ( [2015] EWCA Civ 887 ) explains the tests that Wirral Council should be following to decide on whether Saughall Massie Fire Station is linked to Upton Fire Station for the purposes of this planning application and the issue of environmental impact assessments.
There’s then of course the impact of European law on matters (which still applies despite the triggering of Article 50) because the UK is still in the EU, but really it’s the decision on the planning permission that matters.
One of the main points of not building on green belt is because of the effect on the environment this is the council in full spin mode by the time this comes up for a decision the cogs would have turned and new faces will.magically appear on the planning committee.
Everybody knows how the council works and 99% of local residents here in Saughall massie do not want the fire station built here in what was a peaceful place to live now it’s like living next to a motorway another golf inspired vision.
The proposal going to a meeting of all councillors next Tuesday evening is a Planning Committee of 13 councillors (7 Labour, 4 Conservative, 1 Liberal Democrat and 1 Green).
Obviously with a Labour Chair (who will have a casting vote) and a Labour Vice-Chair.
Apart from the Claughton byelection there have been no elections of councillors to Wirral Council this year.
G’day John
Their local ex-rubbish propaganda sheet
Police in Wirral take part in major operation to crackdown on rogue traders
They will be starting with the Regurgitation department then John?
They could start asking them about Lockwood/Harbac asset stripping and go have a cuppa at The Spotty Blue Teapot.
Ooroo
James
Here’s a link to a Youtube video of the Merseyside Police referring to the 12th year they’ve been doing this.
The press release has more details.
So it’s just a slightly rehashed press release James.
I thought since the management restructure was done at Wirral Council the regeneration department went? It’s now called something else?
G’day John
They will always be known to me as the cheating, lying, obfuscating, criminal Regurgitation Department full of nicotine and peroxide.
Ooroo
James