Will my green space be developed?

Note since this article was published we have added much more detail about which sites are flagged for development. For more information follow these links below:

Link 1 2000 houses proposed on green field sites

Link 2 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Made Easy (SHLAA)

The question we get asked a lot, is whether a particular favourite piece of land of green space is going to be developed. The only way we can answer this is to refer to the Newcastle Staffs Borough Council - Strategic Housing Availability Assessment 2010/2011, or SHLAA for short.

All local authorities have to demonstrate a five year "deliverable" and 6 to 15 year "developable" supplier housing. This shows how the Council is planning on achieving it housing targets set by the government in the Regional Development Plan. At least 60% of the supply needs to come from Brownfield sites according to government targets.

As you can see from the table below over a 20 year period as much as 38% of Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council's housing will come from Greenfield sites. A total of 1884 houses, according to the assessment, could be built on our green spaces, 

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Reason for Council Land Sell Off Exposed After Secret Meeting Minutes Obtained

Under the Freedom of Information Act a copy of the minutes covering the Council meeting held on 28th July 2010 was requested.   These minutes were not available on the Council's website or when requested during  visits to the Planning Department department in the Civic offices and the Guild Hall on 25. and 28. January.  

In the Council minutes of 28. July 2010, extracts of which have been obtained, the reason for selling OUR GREEN SPACES is quite clearly stated.

Council minutes of 28. July 2010,

152C “that all receipts derived from this disposal programme be delivered to support the Council's Capital Programme, and to finance the procurement of the specialist professional services”   

(The cost of these services has since been found to be £64,003.)

152D   “Further to recommendation (C), the first priority for the use of receipts was to support the proposed strategic acquisition referred to elsewhere on the agenda.”

153   “as Freehold acquisition of land and properties No's 10 – 16 Liverpool road – Newcastle.    

This address is listed on 192.com as the old Sainsbury's  store and car park.

A blogger recently wrote, "It is rumoured that the Lib Dems wish to demolish the Civic Offices in Merrial Street!  With a view of purchasing the former Sainsburys supermarket site.  The strange plan is to re-locate the Civic Offices to the former Sainsburys site!" http://www.margaret-astle.info/wp/?p=711

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Council Alter Plans to Develop Greens in Response to Public Pressure

On the 14th February, the site notices at Repton Drive and Winchester Drive were changed at 5.30pm, this showed a reduction from the original outline Planning Application for five house, to two.

This action followed a letter from Belinda Mifflin, Chairperson of the Westlands South Residents Association, to Councillor Simon Tagg, leader of Newcastle Borough Council, (delivered by hand at 2.30pm on 14th February).   The letter asked him “why the plans had been changed – were the Council running scared?   Had their consultants Scott Wilson misunderstood the Council's brief?”

Councillor Simon Tagg's reply received on 15th February stated:-
“Relating to the new set of plans, I was not aware of these until Saturday 12th, when I discovered them on the Council's planning website, although Councillor Studd was briefed on Wednesday 9th February.”

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Letter to Leader of the Council from Paul Farrelly MP

Paul Farrelley, Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme, wrote to the Leader of the Borough Council expressing his concerns over the proposed sell-off of publicly owned land to private developers.

"Two of the above green spaces in the Westlands, indeed, are no more than small corner plots, typical of a suburban, non-terraced  housing area and residents who have been to see me are baffled as to why they should have been chosen.

The choice, indeed, raises questions as to whether the Council intends to do the same in the future with other grassed, corner areas, causing unattractive overdevelopment ill-keeping with the areas."

"I hope you will agree that the objections that have been expressed to me are matters of substantial public concern and that you and your Cabinet colleagues will now carry out a careful reflection before pressing ahead with the sale of publicly owned open space."

The full letter is reproduced below.

Read more: Letter to Leader of the Council from Paul Farrelly MP