Winsford Labour to call for Greedy Pig decision to be overturned

In a statement issued this afternoon, the group says its members were ‘shocked’ to hear the plans were approved by Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning committee on Tuesday night, and it is planning a campaign to have the ‘damaging decision’ overturned.

The decision was taken despite Winsford’s neighbourhood plan – which was adopted following a referendum in October 2014 – earmarking the site for a mix of housing and new business.

Winsford’s neighbourhood plan is valid until 2030, but CWAC’s planning committee decided the housing scheme would be appropriate given the site had so far struggled to attract new business.

Terry Savage, chairman of the Winsford Labour branch, said: “The plan is only five years old, it was a 15 year plan, it’s still early days.

“Winsford Labour branch believes that once the FA development is realised and the town centre is developed that the town will be an entirely different proposition for developers.

“To chuck the neighbourhood plan out now is to disregard the positive impact Winsford’s regeneration projects will have on the image of the town in the future.

“Investment follows investment – give Winsford a chance is all we are asking.”

The committee was urged not to approve the plans by Labour Cllr David Ellis, on behalf of Winsford Town Council, in an effort to secure a mixed development with housing and leisure instead.

But members voted to approve the housing scheme after being told by planning officer Steven Holmes that initial interest in the site from a car dealership, a café, a supermarket and drive-thru restaurants had never been followed up in seven years.

Terry believes more could be made of the site’s riverside location in an attempt to attract businesses, rather than simply marketing it as a ‘roadside’ location next to the Wharton Road roundabout.

Cllr Damon Horrill, Labour town councillor, added: “Winsford residents put their faith in what the neighbourhood plan would do for the town, how it will limit house building by number and determine where houses are built.

“Residents voting for the plan believed they were protecting the flashes and endorsing a policy document that would see Winsford developed in their name.

“Winsford Town Council believed the Neighbourhood Plan would protect and invigorate Winsford but it would now appear that as far as CWAC are concerned the plan is not worth the paper it’s written on.

“If this decision is upheld, how can we reliably reassure residents that thousands more houses are not just around the corner?”

Cllr Phil Herbert, independent CWAC member for Hartford and Greenbank, warned the committee against approving plans that contradicted the neighbourhood plan at yesterday’s meeting.

“I appreciate that nothing has been found for this site,” he said.

“But the neighbourhood plan is quite specific and, as we know, neighbourhood plans are made via referenda.

“To go against a neighbourhood plan, I just think that really it would require Winsford Town Council to make an amendment to their neighbourhood plan before any action is taken.”

But Cllr Samantha Dixon, Labour CWAC member for Chester City and Garden Quarter, suggested the housing scheme would be more suitable now than previously thought when the neighbourhood plan was drawn up.

“The plan was consulted upon and made a number of years ago and the world is a different place,” she said.

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Cllr Tom Blackmore, Labour CWAC member for Over and Verdin, added: “This area of land has been derelict for a number of years.

“The Winsford neighbourhood plan was earmarking it for hotels, commercial property, but it has been marked for that long – no one came for it except one that dropped out.”

Difficulty in finding businesses on the site was also emphasised by Conservative Cllr Lynn Gibbon, who spoke on behalf of the Build and Thrive Board, which has been marketing the site in recent years.