Call for planning chiefs to listen to community anger over housing scheme

Standish Voice neighbourhood forum has taken to social media to plead that a new development for Standish be refused after Wigan Council planning officers recommended approval.

The post reads: “Wigan planners want to break their own rules to allow yet another unsustainable housing development in Standish.

“They recommend that Wigan Council’s planning committee disregard policy - including in Standish Neighbourhood Plan - designed to protect our community from relentless over-development.

“They have ignored stark and worrying warnings from the NHS locally that our health services may well be overwhelmed by passing this new scheme - raising fears of ever-worsening GP provision.

“We urge the planning committee to listen to the wide-scale concern and anger at the possibility of yet more housing in Standish, and respect its own planning rules and the good faith that our community had in the planning system when it created Standish Neighbourhood Plan.

“We hope they stand up to developers who care nothing for communities and refuse permission for this application.

“Standish Voice says of the recommendation: ‘It is hugely disappointing that Wigan Council planning officers are recommending that this application be approved despite admitting it breaches aspects of its own Local Plan and Standish Neighbourhood Plan.

‘Policies in those plans are there to protect communities – including our own – from rampaging over-development which cannot be sustained, and it would be a dereliction of duty for the planning committee to agree to yet more housing in a village that has seen almost 2,000 homes built within a decade without major improvements to crucial infrastructure.

‘The report from officers fails to reflect the dire warning by the NHS locally that Standish’s GP services could potentially be overwhelmed by the addition of this development – an oversight which is misleading the committee about the gravity of the situation.

‘The report admits a planning policy will be breached which says no new permissions should go ahead before the implementation of infrastructure improvements in Standish, needed because of previous development. The council says these improvements will happen – but we are still waiting – and so, the permission for this site needs to be delayed until at least then.

‘Passing this scheme would also breach another policy in Standish Neighbourhood Plan, adopted by the council, which prevents new housebuilding unless our infrastructure can cope. It cannot – especially in roads and health services. The developer will have to give £284,000 for improvements to address the NHS, schools and other major infrastructure challenges – will that improve the situation? No.

‘These planning policies were put in place and approved by a Government planning inspector to prevent Standish being further swamped with new housing – including its health service being “potentially overwhelmed” as in the warning recently from our local NHS locally.

‘There are also huge concerns raised by Lancashire Wildlife Trust about the reduction in biodiversity from the site – which officers concede in the report represents ‘significant biological losses’ to this greenfield area. There are very real worries about highway safety as well.

‘Planning officers admit in the report that ‘there is a degree of conflict with some elements of development plan policy’ and that it is ‘not compliant’ with part of the council’s own Core Strategy and Standish ‘Neighbourhood Plan, but then say it should be approved anyway. This is not acceptable, especially considering the huge scale of opposition to this application, with the village’s Neighbourhood Forum against it, all three local councillors against it and 172 objections to it.

‘For this application to be passed would impose a highly unpopular plan on an area which is at breaking point – against the council’s own policies.

‘Wigan Council needs to realise the faith that Standish has shown in the planning system, playing by the rules and creating a Neighbourhood Plan agreed by the council itself, a Government planning inspector and 93% of people who voted to adopt it in our community.

‘The Planning Committee needs to understand the huge problems that previous housebuilding has caused in Standish, respect their own planning policies and reject this application.

‘With a Government planning inspector agreeing these policies in Standish Neighbourhood Plan, if a refusal went to appeal - we would hope another inspector would respect that earlier judgement and uphold the decision not to allow this application.

‘We say to councillors, please don’t let rapacious housing companies force you down the path of ignoring your own rules and your own communities.’”