Three applications to build houses on green spaces will leave Speke with little public green or open space.
Metro Mayor candidate and Green Party Councillor, Tom Crone, has warned that plans by developers risk turning parts of the city into built-up areas with little public open or green space between the buildings. The comments followed the publication of a graphic image which shows what Speke will look like if proposals for building 450 houses on three green spaces in the area are approved by the Planning Department.
‘It’s clear now that developers are moving fast to put their applications in for building plans before the Local Plan is approved at the end of this year. I am very concerned that some areas of the city will be left with very little public green space when the year is out. Speke is one area that may soon become one massive housing estate with nowhere for local people to take recreation without going some distance from where they live.‘ said Cllr Crone.
In recent weeks, aerial photographs have shown that Liverpool has the lowest amount of green space compared to developed land out of the 10 UK cities that were surveyed.
The latest plans add to the threat of development on land that was identified as green space in the Council’s masterplan document, known as the Unitary Development Plan, which has been in place since 2002. The Greens point to recent planning decisions to allow buildings and artificial sports pitches to be built on including green wedge land at the Simpson Ground in Allerton and Jericho Lane in Otterspool. Plans for the Alder Hey Hospital site and Victoria Street car park have also been strongly opposed as reversing promises for them to be made into green and open spaces.
‘In recent years, we have warned that well loved green spaces are getting lost to concrete and the bulldozer. That has been going on for a while now and is set to speed up over the next 12 months before proper controls can be imposed by the Council.’
‘I’m shocked that the current administration has done very little to protect the green land in our city and they are clearly prepared to destroy what recreational space we should be leaving for future generations to enjoy.’ added Cllr Crone.
The Greens are putting forward a motion to the City Council meeting on Wednesday which calls on the Labour run authority to move more quickly in implementing the outcome of the Green Spaces review which was published in early October.
‘We need to hold the Labour Party to account on this. Simon O’Brien’s report contains some good, positive ideas and it’s important in the current climate of uncertainty that the Council commits to implementing those proposals with words and deeds”
ENDS
Further notes on the developments can be found:
16O/2885 – online objections for former Dunlop Sports Field but current green space can be made from this link: http://northgate.liverpool.gov.uk/PlanningExplorer17/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=1022061&XSLT=/PlanningExplorer17/SiteFiles/Skins/Liverpool_WIP/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/PlanningExplorer17/SiteFiles/Skins/Liverpool_WIP/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING
17F/0006 – online objections for Central Avenue public green space can be made from this link:http://northgate.liverpool.gov.uk/PlanningExplorer17/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=1025280&XSLT=/PlanningExplorer17/SiteFiles/Skins/Liverpool_WIP/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/PlanningExplorer17/SiteFiles/Skins/Liverpool_WIP/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING
17F/0005 – online objections for Greenway Road green space can be made from this link:http://northgate.liverpool.gov.uk/PlanningExplorer17/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=1025300&XSLT=/PlanningExplorer17/SiteFiles/Skins/Liverpool_WIP/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/PlanningExplorer17/SiteFiles/Skins/Liverpool_WIP/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING
Map of Liverpool’s lack of green spaces c/o The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2017/jan/05/green-space-uk-largest-cities-mapped#img-1
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2017/jan/05/green-space-uk-largest-cities-mapped
Details of the Liverpool City Council’s Strategic Framework Planning can be found here (pp78 in reference to plans to convert Victoria Street Car Park into a potential community park for the community):
http://www.liverpoolvision.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Liverpool-City-Centre-Strategic-Investment-Framework-20121.pdf
Planning application for 400 houses at Alder hey site:
16O/3081 – http://northgate.liverpool.gov.uk/PlanningExplorer17/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=1026420&XSLT=/PlanningExplorer17/SiteFiles/Skins/Liverpool_WIP/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/PlanningExplorer17/SiteFiles/Skins/Liverpool_WIP/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING
City Council meeting agenda:
http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=15666&x=1
