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12 • Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com CMBA The Champion • Wednesday 17 July 2013
LETTERS to the Editor
It’s the Local Plan or a free for all
The Labour party in Sefton Central is shares the green belt campaigners’
extremely concerned about the concerns about the data in the
impact of future development and the preferred option of the plan, which is
Local Plan.
two years out of date, but we have
We know this is an issue of great been assured that when the new data
importance to many residents. comes out next year this will be used
The Constituency Labour Party has instead.
called on its MP, Bill Esterson, and its If the new data shows a reduced
Sefton Labour councillors to help need for housing, we will fight to save
mitigate the effects of development green belt and green space.
on green belt and green space. Our We have previously said we are
members do not want to see green against green belt development. This
belt and good farmland built on. was when the figures showed a need
Labour’s Sefton Central councillors for 100–200 homes per year.
have spent many months in contact It is now clear the figure may be
with residents, council officers and more than 400. Because of the
the Labour leader Cllr Peter Dowd Government’s National Planning
challenging the population data with Policy Framework, that means green
regard to the local plan.
belt will be lost. We have concerns
There have also been many meetings about the impact of development on
about the National Planning Policy areas such as Maghull and Formby
Framework and about which sites are where hundreds of homes may be
available for development. The CLP built. We have asked Sefton Council
PICTURE of the week
Farewell
hug
Clutching his
certificate of
achievement, one of
the graduates from
the Class of 2013
gives Lydiate’s
Parklands Nursery
manager Nicola
Jackson a farewell
hug.
Code: 1060616.
Picture by Martyn
Snape.
So much for Labour trying
to save the green belt
The treachery of our Labour
Town Council has finally been
exposed for all to see.
We have all recently been
exposed to their propaganda in
this very newspaper promoting
their wholehearted opposition
to the development of our local
farmland.
Well those very councillors
who only a few weeks ago had
their photograph on the front
page of this very newspaper
with their Save Our Greenbelt
banners in Maghull Square,
they voted to a man, (and
woman) in favour of continuing
with the process of building on
our local farmland.
They’ve betrayed the entire
population of Maghull, by
voting in favour of an area of
development in and around
Maghull that will make it one
and a half times its current size,
without the least mention of
what they’re going to do with
the current facilities and
infrastructure, which can’t cope
with what we’ve already got?
Eric Haworth, Lydiate
to look again at the proportionality
and distribution of proposed sites.
The CLP also believes in 50%
affordable housing on any new site.
Sefton Council has come under
criticism for the local plan, but it is
easy to oppose it when you don’t have
to come up with an alternative.
If Sefton does not have a local plan,
the green belt would be even more at
risk from the Tories and Lib Dems in
government challenging the validity
of Sefton’s plan, then allowing a
free–for–all for their big business
developer friends to pick and choose
for themselves where they want to
build – including on our green belt.
Sefton Central Constituency Labour
Party members are determined to
make sure that does not happen.
Andy Wilson,
Sefton Central Labour Party
Road resurfacing work
has been substandard
Your article Anytime Parking
Restriction Plan, in your July 10
edition, included an invitation
from Councillor Victoria Bennett
for residents of Vermont and
Alexandra roads to submit their
views to her so that, ‘any
decision is made on the basis of
residents wishes.’
In December 2012 Sefton
Council, (via it’s procurement
arm Capita Symonds), contracted
a road resurfacing company to
resurface several roads in the
Crosby area.
Within days after the work was
Council charge £10 per day
to lift parking restrictions
Re: Your article on parking
fines.
I live in The Crescent in
Waterloo.
We cannot park outside our
own house.
The traffic wardens are
constantly checking trying to
catch anyone out.
If we need to have any
tradesmen doing work on the
property we have to notify the
council and tell them what
work is getting done and what
day, and then they give you
permission to park for the day.
They then charge you £10 per
day to lift parking restrictions.
www.champnews.com/pixonline
completed it became obvious
soon the work undertaken was
shoddy and clearly substandard,
with cavities and bald patches
appearing along the entire length
of some of the roads.
I wrote contacted Miss Bennett
about this. She replied stating she
would raise the matter with
Capita Symonds with a view to
having them undertake repairs,
since then, nothing further has
been heard from her!
Jim Marooth,
Crosby
Very honest
Could you please put a message in the paper
to thank the very kind lady who handed in
my mobile phone.
I left it on the 56 bus in Litherland on June
21 and she very kindly handed it in after
finding it but never left any contact details.
A very big thank you to a very honest person.
Name supplied,
By email
A number of residents have
been issued with fines recently.
I only have room on my path
for my own car, so when I
recently employed a firm to
erect a fence in the back garden
I had to let him park on my path
and go and park my car at the
civic centre at £3 per day.
The council told me £3 a day
was cheaper than £35 a day
fine.
No wonder Sefton Council
made £700,000 from parking
fines last year.
Bob Larkin,
Waterloo
Thank you for
help after fall
On Saturday, July 6 my wife had a very bad fall
in Central Square in Maghull.
As soon as she fell a gentleman came forward
saying he was a first–aider, and asked ‘can I
help you?’
He was followed immediately by a lady who
said she was a trained nurse, hard behind her
came another man also saying he was a nurse
from Ashworth Hospital.
These three people stayed with my wife for
more than thirty minutes until an ambulance
arrived to take her to hospital.
Many other passers by offered to help.
One gentleman acquired from somewhere a
sun shade.
A lady from a nearby chemist’s shop worked
hard to reach an ambulance.
Somebody filled a carrier bag full of carrier
bags to serve as a pillow.
Two of our close neighbours took our
shopping home.
It is heartening to realise that there is still such
a loving and caring community here in our
town.
Therefore, through your columns, may Sheila
and I express our heartfelt gratitude to each
and every one of you who were there that day.
I am pleased to say that Sheila is okay and is
recovering well, she’s a tough old bird. Once
again may we say thank you to each and every
one of you.
May God bless you all.
Peter and Sheila Fryer, By email
Write to the Editor at
Clare House, 166 Lord Street, Southport PR9 0QA
Email
editorial@champnews.com
Newsdesk
01704 392 400
Website
www.champnews.com
Group Editor
Malcolm Hindle
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They could have been reading YOUR message
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