Happy New Year to all our supporters!
Thank you for all your support in 2024, we appreciate every single one of you who signed petitions, commented on consultations, wrote to Councillors and Politicians and generally helped spread the word. We won several important battles - but unfortunately, the war is far from over. Wirral Council’s Brownfield Only Local Plan, which has the support of ALL Councillors is yet to be signed off by the Government’s Planning Inspector. The Government are intent on major changes to the planning system which will require Wirral Borough to allow Developers to build 28,000 new houses which would see a 20% increase in the population (an extra 60,000+ people).
As we start 2025 with the 3rd storm in less than a month, many parts of the UK are waking up again to flooding. It is a timely reminder that this is our “new normal” and rainfall is only going to become more intense and more frequent. We need our precious farms and fields to mitigate against the effects of climate change. To continue building on green spaces in a climate emergency is absolute madness.
This time the Wirral got off relatively lightly. Meanwhile, in Greater Manchester a major incident has been declared. Peoples homes are flooded, devastating peoples lives, cars are trapped in flood water, people have been evacuated and traffic chaos has ensued.
If you are out and about on New Year walks, please take photos of any flooded fields and roads. Very soon Developers will be coming for those very fields and arguing to the planning authorities that they have undertaken a Flood Risk Assessment and they have determined that there is no flood risk – we need as much evidence as possible to rebuke them.
Photos and videos can be shared to our Facebook page : "Defend Wirral's Green Spaces"
We have taken a well earned break over Christmas but we are ready to start campaigning again as we move in to 2025. There is not a housing shortage in this country, there is a shortage of social housing in the right places. Allowing, swathes of executive homes on Green Belt with a few “affordable” homes tagged on is not the answer that we need. “Affordable” homes are still unaffordable to most. This is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE TO AFFECT THE WIRRAL in a generation so please keep an eye out for updates on how you can help.
Once again, a very Happy New Year to you all and lets hope 2025 is a successful one for defending our precious green spaces.
Once the Green Belt has Gone, its Gone Forever!