Wirral’s Green Belt : The Changing ‘Story’

Our latest leak about the Green Belt includes many points of interest including the big news that Story Homes have pulled out of the Hoylake Golf resort proposals. Their replacement, Redrow , bring an interesting track record to devlopments . As does disgraced Cllr Steve ‘Foulkesy’ Foulkes  who we are told is to become the Chair of Wirral Council’s  Planning Committee. We have to ask whether, with his proven track record of flagrant dishonesty , that this is the right person to be involved in making decisions about multi-million pound development plans – or indeed any council business at all…

Hi Wirralleaks

Are you aware that Story Homes have pulled out of the Golf Resort and the preferred housebuilder is now REDROW!!!??  David Ball has confirmed this to us last week at the Wirral West Constituency Meeting. In an email David Ball stated “Story Homes had a change of strategic direction by their owner and decided that the Hoylake project did not now align with the new direction.”

 

Of course, this is a diplomatic way of saying that “they have decided to pull out” but it would be very interesting to know why they pulled out. Why have they decided to pull out of the golf resort, yet they are actively pursuing other landowners on the Wirral looking to develop other Green Belt Land? – see attached letters.

 

It seems that Story Homes “change of strategic direction” still includes trying to build houses on Wirral’s Green Belt – just not on the Golf Resort site. Has the Hoylake Golf resort project become too toxic for them? Maybe they were aware of the massive public opposition and they feared bad publicity? Maybe they were worried about flooding, as the golf resort houses are to be built in the middle of a flood plain? Or maybe they no longer wanted to be involved with the Nicklaus Joint Venture Group as they, and there partners Branded Hotel Management, have lost a number of Directors recently. Perhaps they were struggling to get financial backing for the project as the NJVG have a history of bankruptcy?

 

It would be interesting to know when exactly did Story homes pull out and is this the reason why the design studies have been delayed.

 

I am sure you are aware that REDROW are embroiled in a bitter battle with the people of Liverpool. Redrow and their friend “Redrow Joe” Anderson are trying to build 51 executive homes on Calderstones Park. Over 40,000 have signed a petition and the public are funding a judicial review next month. Labour have lost seats in South Liverpool because of their policy of selling off Green Spaces to Redrow, yet still Joe Anderson will not listen.

 It would be interesting to know if  (Cllr) Phil Davies spoke to Joe Anderson to ask if his Redrow friends could “rescue” the golf resort project after Story Homes pulled out.

 

It is also concerning that Redrow will now be in charge of building a housing estate on a flood plain. A simple google search of “redrow” and “flooding” reveals scores of housing projects built by Redrow where there have been flooding problems. There is even a facebook page called “I bought a Redrow home and my garden is a swamp!”

 

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/residents-living-new-housing-estate-14386420

 

http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/16157885.Flooding_concerns_in_Hawarden_near_recent_Redrow_housing_development/

 

https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/fury-over-leaky-luxury-homes-and-flood-issues-1-8682734

 

You may also be aware that the Labour LCF passed the following motion last Friday. I understand that there were no votes against with the 3 Labour Group members (Councillors) abstaining:

 This branch / CLP / LCF calls upon the Labour Group to:

1. Complete a re-evaluation of the housing needs for Wirral taking into account the historical population and household numbers and trends, the recent lack of economic growth and the likely dramatic effects of Brexit on the economic prospects for Wirral.
2. Challenge the Government’s housing targets for Wirral arguing that there is compelling evidence to adopt an alternative approach to the calculation of housing needs.
3. Argue that the above factors will dramatically reduce the anticipated housing needs for Wirral and suggest a much lower figure.
4. Complete a consultation with the membership to include prioritising the construction of council houses, starter and affordable homes on a brownfield first basis. The consultation should include a local policy conference to discuss inter alia compulsory purchase options for land owned by Peel Holdings and the development of our own regeneration plan for that area and other areas, bearing in mind that the Wirral Waters site is eligible for substantial Government grants.
5. Complete a revised and widely agreed local plan to be consulted on in all our communities. This public consultation should be led by Councillors in cooperation with the wider party to ensure the voices of all Wirral’s citizens are listened to and acted upon.
6. Oppose the re-designation of Greenbelt for house building, to reiterate its commitment to preserving Wirral’s Greenbelt and to cancel the proposed Hoylake Golf Resort.

The LCF has 6 delegates elected by each of the 4 Wirral Constituency Labour Parties, one delegate from each Labour Party branch, representatives of the Labour Group (Labour Councillors), and one from the Co-operative Party and Young Labour. The motion was carried with no votes against, with the 3 Labour group representatives abstaining.

Finally, we have also been made aware that Steve Foulkes (“Research Associate” at Unilever) has been made chair of planning – i.e. he will decide what land Leverhulme can develop – a conflict of interest surely?

 

 

Wirral Leaks Weekly Dispatch #6

Hey! people of Wirral – we’re supposed to be semi-retired here! But in the mean time keep ’em comin’……

CONDUCT UNBECOMING 

This is a postscript to our Intimidation and the Hypocrisies of Public Life post where earlier this week we witnessed Cllr Moira ‘Matron’ McLaughlin desperately querying whether a particular website was intimidatory. Hey , Matron – we pay for your taxis , it would appear you now want us to pay for your phone. As Her Ladyship said : ” It’ll be bad dye jobs and manicures next !” Can we just pitch in that we agree with a recent Guardian report (that’s a first for us) where ex- Tory minister Sir Eric ‘Who Ate All The Pies’ Pickles gets a deserved kicking (or this being the Guardian – a mild riposte). It was Frank Field’s mate who dismantled the external scrutiny of Councils with the abolishment of the Audit Commission and Standards For England and my goodness haven’t councillors at Wirral Council taken advantage of the fact since? For more read here : Blame Eric Pickles for councillors guzzling high on the hog

It is apparent that electors on Wirral don’t or at least don’t in any coherent way police the conduct of councillors. So we try to instead – and if that’s ‘intimidatory’ Matron we make no apologies! Just sayin’

HUBWATCH  

Her Ladyship turned to me the other day and said :

What the world needs now
Is hubs, more hubs
It’s the only thing
That there’s just too little of
What the world needs now
Is hubs, more hubs
No not just for some – but for everyone

Lord, we don’t need
Another mountain
There are mountains
And hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans
And rivers enough to cross
Enough to last – ’til the end of time

What the world needs now
Is hubs, more hubs

And who was I to disagree? So in honour of Her Ladyship we are introducing a new Wirral Leaks feature – Hubwatch. This week’s hub is the ‘Maritime Knowledge Hub’ exclusively featured in Wirral Council’s favourite website Insider Media Ltd. 

The ‘Digital Staff Writer’ for this exclusive for this is one Matthew Ord. Now we’re not being rude here Matthew but your profile pic makes you look slightly deranged. We suppose that’s what happens when you have to cut and paste press statements from various interested parties into a vaguely coherent article so that it doesn’t read like complete BS for a living. Just sayin’

WIRRAL WINDFALL 

The latest contribution from regular Wirral Leaks contributor ‘The Prof ‘ may be a bit controversial but we’re a broad church and we like to encourage debate and dispute

It was good to read in the February Wirral View that according to Cllr. Phil Davies Wirral is now the centre for ‘Offshore Renewable Engineering’! Orsted’s new ‘flagship’ site for windmill maintenance is apparently the best thing since sliced bread ! Phil must have read the piece in Renewable Energy News, etc, which reported that several hundred offshore windmills supplied by Siemens, including those of Orsted, have suffered unexpected problems including severe blade erosion requiring expensive repair or replacement. That should keep Orsted’s base busy in the short term. But, as to the medium term,  did Phil not also read the Financial Times piece (23.02.18) :’Global Renewable Energy Sector Faces Enron Style Collapse’. With the end of cheap money and subsidies and the US shale gas revolution ,the ‘windmill era’ may be ending again just as it did when coal and oil arrived in the 19th century. If Phil wants economic renewal for Wirral he should forget politically correct fantasy, embrace reality and talk to Cuadrilla.                                                                        Professor D P Gregg (retired)

 

Juergen Maier is Siemens CEO and North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) Chairman

Emma Degg (ex Wirral Council, Wirral Leaks passim) is CEO of NWBLT

Oh and DLA Piper, Grant Thornton, Orsted and Unilever have representatives on the NWBLT board. Have you all worked out how this shit works yet?

NWBLT Members

Just sayin’

STIR IT UP

Now you know we don’t judge here at Wirral Leaks and we fully support local businesses and recognise you gotta do what you gotta do to make a living these days. However from time to time who question the appropriateness of some sponsorship deals . We say this as we’ve been sent these pics and comment from a local resident :

Good to see Somerville Medical Centre being sponsored by the cheapest e cig shop on Merseyside……sponsored by Marley’s where (if you zoom in on this photo) you will also see that you can buy ‘spliff boxes’, ‘bongs’, and associated drug taking paraphernalia ……. ha ha

Perhaps Julie Webster Head of Public Health at Wirral Council could comment on the matter and at the same time confirm she has an MSc and therefore has the authority to do so. Just sayin’

AND FINALLY 

We’ve been sent this picture and asked  ” What does this former party political leader and his partner have in common with a Wirral political power couple?”

We were stumped – perhaps Wirral Leaks readers can enlighten us………