NewFlash: Planning
Application on 'Parkgate' Refused...
At
a meeting of the Solihull Planning Committee on Wednesday
8th December 2010, the Councillors refused the current
planning application for the 'Parkgate' Development.
The application will now either be resubmitted by the developer or go to a
planning appeal.
Conservative Councllors voted in favour of the application with the controlling
Liberal Democrats moving and voting for refusal, based on the Car Parking Provision.
However the Council Officers at the meeting did advise that refusal for this
reason would be extremely difficult to defend at any appeal lodged by the developer.
________________________________________________
21st August 2010
Protest
in the Park
On
the 21st of August 2010, 300 Residents braved the weather
to attend the ‘SAMRA’ protest in the park to
Protest at the Council Plans to build apartments on the
Parkland near the Children’s Play Area as part of
the Asda based Shirley Parkgate Scheme. The protest aim
was to draw attention to local resident’s concerns
to protect the Rural Character of Shirley Park (a country
park atmosphere in the town) from the worst effects of
the Parkgate Plans and photos were taken in front of the
threatened ancient hedgerow and trees that presently screen
the park from the busy Stratford Road and an attendance
petition signed calling on the Council as development partners
with Shirley Advance to enter into meaningful consultations
to maintain the rural character of the parkland by either:-
-
Removing
this section of apartments from the scheme
-
Reducing
the scale or layout of residential development on this
section of the scheme so that it can
be contained behind the trees.
-
Bringing
forward a revision to the current plans that ensure this
section of parkland
is
screened from buildings
and its rural character preserved.
Again
the protest was not against the Parkgate scheme itself
but was focused on the unacceptable impact of these
apartments on the park and despite all the consultations
over the
years to emphasise this is the major point on which
local people felt the Council have just not been listening.
Residents
say that luxury apartments on parkland are not necessary
or wanted and logically additional housing including
much needed affordable homes should be provided on the
nearby PowerGen site which will now be released for development.
There is also growing concern from parents that apartments
overlook the Children’s Play Area and an objection
to their intrusion onto the privacy of family recreation
activities. The Council is now under a new Liberal
led administration whose members have long campaigned
to preserve
a greater section of parkland than we are actually
pressing for and we will now be seeking to meet with
the Council
over this issue.
Commenting Trevor Eames SAMRAs Shirley South candidate
said ‘We fully support the need to regenerate Shirley’s
ailing Stratford Road Shopping Centre but 98% of
residents surveyed recently were totally against
these apartments
in the park. We hope that the scheme can be modified
and the Council won’t repeat the mistakes they made over
building on Tudor Grange Park which proved so unpopular’ The
very definition of a park is an enclosed area separated
from the buildings of the town.
Our Campaign Supporters to ‘Save the Shirley Park
Trees’ include the Solihull Ratepayers Association,
the Shirley Residents Association, the Solihull Tree
Wardens, and Nikki Sinclaire MEP.
New
Parkgate Plans for Shirley Town Centre - What's your view?
New
Plans for the redevelopment of Shirley Town Centre are back
on the agenda with a number changes giving the plans a slimmer
look.The scheme, which was originally known as the New Heart
for Shirley and will be anchored by an ASDA superstore, was
given planning permission in 2006 after extensive community
consultation.
Compulsory Purchase Orders were then granted in 2008 to pave
the way for the removal of any homes and or businesses obstructing
the development. However, the global recession halted progress
and a subsequent number of changes to the scheme now mean the
entire project has to go through the planning process once
again. Developers Shirley Advance are hoping the changes -
include a
ten per cent reduction in the size of the supermarket, 500
car parking spaces instead of 600, around 20 to 30 per cent
less retail units and a combination or town houses and apartments
instead of just apartments - will appease the less than enthusiastic
members of the community.
They
are holding a public exhibition at Shirley Baptist Church on
Stratford Road on June 17, 18 and 19, which will give
people the opportunity to have a close look at the project
and offer
their views on the changes before a new planning application
is submitted in early July. The scheme sparked huge controversy
when it was originally submitted with hundreds of residents
opposing it.
SAMRA's Parliamentary Spokesman for Solihull and
Shirley
East Ward Candidate Neill Watts said
" I have always believed that Shirley needs more investment, and a smaller
plan than was being put forward by Shirley Advance in the past. The residents
of Shirley are now being given another opportunity to voice their views,
before a further planning application is submitted. So this is probably the final
chance we will have to shape the future of our shopping area, I urge all residents
to
make your views known!" Visit the Parkgate website and make your
views known.
Click Here www.parkgateshirley.com |
