The controversial plans for the McDonalds development in Ashbrake were passed by the Planning Committee last night.
The disappointing decision ultimately came as no suprise. During the five month campaign residents were in no doubt of the difficulty in preventing the plans, due to outline planning consent having been granted 10 years ago. This meant legally it would be extremely difficult to block the plans. However every effort was placed into trying to find reasons which could 'stand up' if a rejection was taken to court by the developers. Through the hard work of everyone involved, many of the objections over the five months were dealt with prior to the planning meeting, with considerable changes (improvements) made to the initial plans, limiting the impact on the local area.
Approximately 25 local residents joined Councillors Justin Tomlinson, Peter Stoddart & Owen Lister at the Planning Committee in attempt to speak against the plans.
With limited time and strict rules governing what the residents and Councillors were able to speak about on these plans, a great deal of time and effort was placed into preparing the speeches. It was planned that each speaker would cover a seperate concern, thus maximising our message.
The following local people spoke against the proposed plans:
Councillor Justin Tomlinson - Public Consultation Being Ignored
Tracy Goodwin (Campaign Group Co-ordinator) - Smell & Noise
Rachel Dawe (Local Resident) - Lighting
Jon Booth (Lady Lane Campaign Group) - Pedestrain Crossing
Roger Arnold (Local Resident) - Traffic & Highways
Mik Gallimore (Local Resident) - Noise & Opening Hours
Matthew Saxon (Local Resident) - Access & Design
Councillor Owen Lister - Smell, Noise & Design
This co-ordinated approve proved successful, with many Councillors who sit on planning showing clear signs of discomfort with the plans. With many unanswered questions a motion of deferment (delay) was brought forward, requesting that until many of the residents questions could be answered, a decision could not be made. However, following legal advice, which advised Councillors that there wasn't sufficient legal grounds to do so and could invite legal action, the motion was defeated, and reluctantly the Councillors had little choice but to grant planning permission.
Councillor Justin Tomlinson, 'Following the meeting, we were all disappointed that we could not defeat the application, but thankfully the hard work over the last five months has brought about considerable changes and improvements to the plans. Without the hard work, we could have been facing a much worse situation. The campaign group, led by Tracy Goodwin have a lot to be proud of, and have undoubtably made a real difference.'
Councillor Tracey Goodwin, 'We are bitterly disappointed that the council made objections and then voted in favour of the application. We now have to live with the smells, noise and traffic which will all be exacerbated by this development we don't feel our objections have been answered. The developer made cosmetic changes to the application, but it doesn't solve the problems of nasty odours, noise or traffic. We want to be able to sit in our back gardens or our houses with the windows open and not be affected by the smells drifting across. There are also the problems of security and Pennine Way being used as a rat run, but we have got no choice but to get on with life now.'
Councillor Peter Stoddart, 'I am extremely worried about the litter potential. Ashbrake is a residential area, and I will do everything I can to make sure that knock-on effect of these proposed plans do not lead to litter spreading into the residential areas.'
Councillor Justin Tomlinson, 'This decision is a disgrace. Due to outline planning permission granted 10 years ago, public consoltaton which is overwhelmingly against the proposed plans is effectively ignored. The residents have every right to be frustrated. We will continue to do what we can to make sure all of the ammendments to the plans are carried out, and thus limiting the impact on the local area.'