Dear Supporters,

There is to be an extraordinary meeting of the full Council on Monday 25th February at 6pm at Wallasey Town Hall to discuss the Hoylake Golf Resort. 

Following the decision by Labour’s Local Campaign Forum to oppose the plans for the Hoylake Golf Resort and the Local Labour MP, Margaret Greenwood publicly stating her opposition to the project, the Borough’s Conservative Councillors have requisitioned a special council meeting to finally end the controversial project.

We need to persuade all the Councillors, particularly the Labour Group of Councillors, to vote against the Hoylake Golf Resort at this meeting.

It is important that as many people as possible email all the Councillors to urge them to vote to abandon the Hoylake Golf Resort. We are also asking people to demonstrate outside the Town Hall before the meeting.

Please just take 10 minutes to email the Councillors and let them know that you wish them to vote to abandon the Hoylake Golf Resort - the more emails they receive the more they are likely to listen. Please do not leave it to someone else they may be leaving it to you.

The Councillors details can be found at 

https://democracy.wirral.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=PARTY&VW=LIST&PIC=0

Or you can copy and paste the email addresses of the full list of Councillors at the bottom of this message.

The issues include:

* The “Preferred” Developer (NJVG) has a dubious track record. Their previous “Nicklaus” resort development never delivered a promised Hilton Hotel and their housing construction company went into liquidation, leaving local businesses out of pocket. The Council are proposing a high risk strategy of lending £26million to this Joint Venture Group to develop the resort and 160 luxury houses / 40 apartments, against Labour Party Policy. Already the programme has slipped, repeatedly.

* Development on Green Belt Land which is totally against current Planning Policy and vehemently opposed by the vast majority of Wirral residents.

* Building on a Zone 3 (High Risk) Flood Plain which WILL increase Flood Risk in the Birket Valley, when Scientists are warning of impending Climate Change Catastrophe.

* Environmental Damage to bio diverse farmland which is home to a wide variety of species, many of them nationally and internationally protected.

* Previous Consultants’ reports have stated that the resort is NOT VIABLE without the enabling development of luxury houses.

* Only 0.2% of tourists come to the Wirral for Golf, whereas 91% come for the Coast and Countryside. Since its heyday 20 years ago Golf has seen a rapid decline, whereas Nature Tourism is growing.

* There are estimated to be only 175 mostly low paid, low skilled jobs at the resort. Much better outcomes on jobs can be achieved by investing in other schemes.

* Credible alternatives, such as an Eco Resort and Wildlife / Wetlands Centre, have not been seriously considered, but could bring jobs and many more tourists.

* The Council have carried out only a weak public consultation exercise and the majority of the local community are against the resort.

* A by-pass road, funded with £17 million of public money, which will increase Traffic and carbon emissions and is likely to suck money out of the local area. It will cause chaos at Hoylake Level Crossing

* Costs run the risk of spiralling, one of the Developers partners has already pulled out and a number of Directors have resigned. No independent financial business plan or cost / benefit analysis has been undertaken.

* The “very special circumstances” required to achieve Green Belt planning consent simply do not exist and, even if planning consent was given by the Council there is a risk that this could be overturned by the Government Planning Inspector or at Judicial Review, such as has recently happened with Liverpool’s Calderstones Park.

phildavies@wirral.gov.uk, jeanrobinson@wirral.gov.uk, tonycottier@wirral.gov.uk, christinamuspratt@wirral.gov.uk, jerrywilliams@wirral.gov.uk, elizabethgrey@wirral.gov.uk, briankenny@wirral.gov.uk, juliemcmanus@wirral.gov.uk, patcleary@wirral.gov.uk, jeanstapleton@wirral.gov.uk, joewalsh@wirral.gov.uk, irenewilliams@wirral.gov.uk, maryjordan@wirral.gov.uk, cherrypovall@wirral.gov.uk, adamsykes@wirral.gov.uk, georgedavies@wirral.gov.uk, stevefoulkes@wirral.gov.uk, gillianwood@wirral.gov.uk, chriscarubia@wirral.gov.uk, philgilchrist@wirral.gov.uk, davemitchell@wirral.gov.uk, tomanderson@wirral.gov.uk, davidburgessjoyce@wirral.gov.uk, wendyclements@wirral.gov.uk, andrewhodson@wirral.gov.uk, kathyhodson@wirral.gov.uk, lesrowlands@wirral.gov.uk, tonycox@wirral.gov.uk, gerryellis@wirral.gov.uk, andrewgardner@wirral.gov.uk, ronabbey@wirral.gov.uk, sharonjones1@wirral.gov.uk, anitaleech@wirral.gov.uk, berniemooney@wirral.gov.uk, thomasusher@wirral.gov.uk, janwilliamson@wirral.gov.uk, bruceberry@wirral.gov.uk, chrisblakeley@wirral.gov.uk, stephenwilliams@wirral.gov.uk, allanbrame@wirral.gov.uk, pauldoughty@wirral.gov.uk, stuartkelly@wirral.gov.uk, phillipbrightmore@wirral.gov.uk, katecannon@wirral.gov.uk, mikesullivan@wirral.gov.uk, angeladavies@wirral.gov.uk, samanthafrost@wirral.gov.uk, tonynorbury@wirral.gov.uk, billdavies@wirral.gov.uk, moiramclaughlin@wirral.gov.uk, chrismeaden@wirral.gov.uk, adrianjones@wirral.gov.uk, christinejones@wirral.gov.uk, paulstuart@wirral.gov.uk, tonysmith@wirral.gov.uk, stuartwhittingham@wirral.gov.uk, davidelderton@wirral.gov.uk, jeffgreen@wirral.gov.uk, geoffreywatt@wirral.gov.uk, ianlewis@wirral.gov.uk, lesleyrennie@wirral.gov.uk, paulhayes@wirral.gov.uk, pathackett@wirral.gov.uk, tonyjones@wirral.gov.uk, christinespriggs@wirral.gov.uk, jobird@wirral.gov.uk

Thank you for your support