Dear Supporters,
Green Belt Land around Irby and Thingwall is NOT SAFE FROM DEVELOPERS. Parcel 7.25 WEST OF SANDY LANE (SP009 – 92 houses), Parcel 7.26 SOUTH OF THURSASTON ROAD / WEST OF IRBY RD ( SP059C,B,D – 48 houses), Parcel 7.27 SOUTH OF THINGWALL ROAD (SP060 – 1,106 house) These sites form Option 2a in the draft Local Plan to be published this summer. Surveyors have been seen in the last few weeks out in these fields.
PLEASE DONARE TO OUR LEGAL FUND TO FIGHT THE DEVELOPERS
Over 16000 people have signed this petition because they want to save the green belt. If everyone of those 16000 people gave just a couple of quid, the price of a takeaway coffee, we would be able to raise a significant amount of money to contest the developers plans.
In the 2019 Green belt Review the Council designated these fields as “weakly performing Green Belt. The landowners and developers are aware of this and they are preparing their legal case, right now, to present to the Local Plan Inspector. They will have expensive Barristers to argue that these “weakly performing green belt” areas should be removed from the green belt completely.
In addition setting out surveyors have been seen close to the junction of Whaley Lane and Thingwall Road, adjacent to Parcel 7.22 which has been designated as a “moderately performing” Green Belt parcel. We have been told that Utility contractor has also recently taken a service across Thingwall Road towards the fields.
Why would the developers undertake expensive surveys if they didn’t think there was a chance that Green Belt would be released?
The Local Plan not only needs to show that there are enough Brownfield sites to meet the Target of 12000 houses in 15 years, but the Local Plan must show that they are “developable” AND “deliverable” within the required timescales. The regeneration of Birkenhead proposes 21,000 houses in 20 years but this depends on many things such as infrastructure, obtaining the necessary grants and funding and cooperation with landowners. The Council admit that they still have work to do in ensuring that they can prove, to the Local Plan Inspector, that 12000 of those Brownfield houses are “developable” and “deliverable” within in the Local Plan period.
In addition, Green Belt Landowners and Developers will also be using their expensive legal teams and planning experts who will try to convince the Local Plan Inspector that not all the Council’s plans are achievable or viable. They will pick over every detail of the Council’s proposals to try and discredit them. Then they will say that they have Green Belt land to meet the targets and that they are ready to go. This is why surveyors have been seen right across Wirral in recent weeks, surveying the Green Belt, ready to submit plans to the Local Plan Inspector.
Remember, ultimately, it is not the Council who decides if Green belt will be released but the Local Plan Inspector who will look at submissions and hear evidence from the Council AND the Landowners / Developers.
Therefore, it is vital that the Wirral Green Space Alliance also has legal and planning representation at the Local Plan “Examination” so that we can dispute the ridiculously inflated housing target of 12000 homes and resist the Developers claims for Green Belt to be released.
Please donate to our legal fighting fund, please donate whatever you can afford, every pound donated really helps to save the Green Belt.
Please don't leave this to others, they may be leaving it to you. Save the Green Belt, Once its Gone its Gone Forever!