URGENT - LAST FEW DAYS TO OBJECT - Please, everyone, spend some time this weekend and object to Leverhulme’s plans to build 1038 houses on eight Green Belt Sites across Wirral! And Share this with your friends, family and neighbours and get them to object too.
Here is what you need to do…..
This is only Leverhulme’s first phase. They plan on further phases of house building following the initial phase.
The eight sites are:
North of Gills Lane between Dale View Close, Gwendoline Close, and Thorncroft Drive (92 houses) Planning Reference no. OUT/22/00941
North of Gills Lane between Thorncroft Drive and Gills Lane Farm and stables (15 houses) Planning Reference No. OUT/22/00942
North of Milner Road and West of Barnston Road (120 houses) Planning Reference No. OUT/22/00943
Land West of Barnston Road, North of Gills Lane, Wirral (153 houses) Planning Reference No. OUT/22/00944
Land West Of Raby Hall, Raby Road, Raby Mere, CH60 0NN (38 houses) Planning Reference No. OUT/22/00945
Land East Of Glenwood Drive, Irby, CH63 1JD (290 houses) Planning Reference No. OUT/22/00946
Land East Of Raby Hall, Raby Road, Raby, Wirral (80 houses) Planning Reference No. OUT/22/00947
There is an eight site at Green House Farm, Greasby – planning applications have yet to be submitted.
HOW TO OBJECT:
We have been made aware of some issues with the council website so if you are having problems you can email your objections to: planningapplications@wirral.gov.uk
OR.......
Click on the following link:
https://online.wirral.gov.uk/planning/index.html
click “+ Register” on left hand menu
Input your details (name, address, email)
A verification email will be sent to your email address, go into your email account and click verify – (remember to check in your junk mail)
Now log in to the council website / portal
Click on “Planning”
Click “Search Planning Applications”
Input the relevant planning application reference number (see above)
Scroll Down to the application and click the green view button
Scroll Down to the “make a representation” section and click “object”.
Insert any comments you wish to make in the comments box
Press submit
You will then receive an email confirming your submission.
Please remember to object to all the sites
You do not have to make any comments but if you are able to then please do so. Even just a couple of sentences would help. It is often helpful, if you are writing a lot, to type it out on a Word document first and then copy and paste into the comments box. You can then use the same comments for every site you object to.
Again, we have been made aware of some issues with copying and pasting – but apparently if you change the text slightly (e.g adding a comma) then the system will accept it.
When you submit your comments you may wish to consider the following:
The fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence.
The National Planning Policy Framework paragraph 138 states Green Belt serves 5 purposes:
(a) to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;
(b) to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another;
(c) to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;
(d) to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and
(e) to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.- i.e the Birkenhead Docklands etc.
There is space for 21000 houses on Wirral’s brownfield sites.
Development on the Green Belt is only possible in “Very Special Circumstances”. Leverhulme have submitted a document with their planning applications in which they have detailed the reasons they believe there are “Very Special Circumstances|” for building on Wirral’s Green Belt. This document, By Strutt and Parker “ Leverhulme – Analysis of Very Special Circumstances” can be downloaded from the planning portal with the other documents listed with the applications.
Other issues you may wish to comment on could include traffic, air quality and pollution, loss of biodiversity, climate change, flood risk, loss of food producing land, health and wellbeing, infrastructure issues (e.g schools, GP surgeries etc).
Wirral needs genuinely affordable and social housing. Leverhulmes “affordable” housing will simply be below local market rate – which is still unaffordable to most.
Please share this information and get your friends and neighbours to object too. Each person in each household can object. We must stop Leverhulmes – this is only the first phase of their plans and their “Vision” is to destroy Wirral’s precious Green Belt for profit and greed.
We have been told that comments should, ideally, be submitted by 10th August.
Other helpful guidance from ITPAS (Irby, Thingwall, Pensby Amenity Soc) and WGSA can be found at :
https://www.itpas.org.uk/_files/ugd/8c8e33_620f4293287e47769d7a99ce041d1d09.pdf
Also, please consider donating the Wirral Green Space Alliance’s (WGSA) Legal Fighting Fund. Leverhulmes are trying to get these planning applications approved before the Local Plan is finalised. If they are not successful, they will be making legal representations to the Local Plan inspector to release Green Belt for development.
WGSA need your help - it is VITALLY IMPORTANT that we can fund our own legal team who will be fighting the developers on your behalf. Please donate as much or as little as you can afford.
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/savewirralsgreenbelt
Many Thanks for your support.