Still time to have your say on plan

21/11/2008

RE: The sale of the open, green and public space at Barrington Rd.

As stated in the report from which the executive committee were working, there was a "general misconception" of the public that all of the land was a gift and couldn’t be built upon, as opposed to only part of it.

Yet this misconception was not addressed, therefore a proper consultation with the public has not taken place prior to the decision to sell the land.

This means that it could be deemed that the people’s objection to the loss of the Shaw memorial garden would be satisfied by the much smaller, railed and gated enclosure, on private land, whereas in fact what people are objecting to is the loss of the entire open green space and trees, not just a small section of it.

It is the vision and sense of the council’s predecessors that should be protected, as they combined the parcels of land to form a beneficial open space, at a time when there was considerably more in Altrincham town centre than there is now.

The public were also not made aware that they had to write two letters of objection, one to the sale of the land and one to the planning application for the car park, part of an office block and cramped memorial garden on the land.

The existence of the 84 letters objecting to the sale of the land, which covered planning matters as well, was brought to the attention of the Planning Committee at the last minute, so the planning decision has been rightly deferred until December 11.

It has not been made clear whether the public are expected to write again to object to the planning application, but as the full facts have only recently emerged, it is only just that further letters of objections should be taken into account.

I encourage you all to write to object to the planning application for the 15 space car park, part of the office block and enclosed, railed garden, in the hope that it is refused, so that the sale of the open land does not need to take place.

Please write to Planning & Building Control, PO Box 96, Waterside House, Sale Waterside, Sale M33 7ZF or e-mail development.control@trafford.gov.uk

Mrs Sue Nichols, Altrincha