The Gasjet today announces the planners have recommended the deeply controversial Marton Moss homes development for approval.
Apparently there has been some changes to the plans and the consulatation on these changes takes place next month after going before the planning committee, which seems a but ludicrous.
Conservative PPC Ron Bell called for more housing development to be in the inner city areas which I completely agree with, there are areas desperately in need of massive redevelopment, Foxhall for one. I am glad to see Mr Bell has spoken out against the plans not letting Marsden jump on the bandwagon acting like the ‘hard fighting local MP’. Marsden probably doesn’t even know where the Moss is because he doesn’t even live here. He has just taken on the campaign for political pointscoring in my view.
Personally I oppose the development, I live not far from the proposed site and I would rather it were just left as is. I would much rather see hellholes like Foxhall and Central Drive levelled and redeveloped. However for the moment the plans look set to be referred to a public enquiry which will have the final decision. A public enquiry could block the application and I believe this could be likely as a public enquiry in Lancaster blocked the long-awaited Centros (new Houndshill owners) development just because some of the local historical brickwork didn’t fit in with the development. So considering the public backlash against these plans I hope it will be blocked.
Open to the floor
Out of interest Harold, I notice the Gasjet has blocked comments, I couldn’t access the page this morning, so were comments blocked from the start or did the debate get a bit heated and get suspended?
I didnt see any comments at all TB,they are preventing a debate on it, knowing how controversial it is.
That council is pants, why not renovate inner Blackpool instead of ruining the moss?
You know something TB, one group opf people that I loathe as much as scroungers and labour politicians? PLANNERS.
I don’t blame you they do make some ridiculous decisions/recommendations sometimes. for the record Steve Weaver was originally a planner before he was summoned to the ivory towers of local government jobsworths.
Tha explains it , that bastard is just as vile as that other cunt-bastard: Gary Payne
Be fair TB for what ever reason Marsden has opposed this development from the beginning while Bell sold his soul to them. He even went as far as saying that he was in favour of this development and Marsden wasn’t when he was courting money from Kensington. This is a prime example of how big companies are buying politicians and councils money talks. Any politician that has in any way helped this is a prime example of what is wrong with politics today.
I tried my hardest to be objective with this article, I can’t do it as well as Phil I must admit. You are right there about Mr Bell and I admit that was wrong. But I am not convinced at all by Marsden, I think as usual to him this is just another chance to soil the opposition and get his picture in the Gazette. Like I said (and I meant it in all seriousness) he probably doesn’t even know where the Moss is. But I do agree with your point about big business but I can say the same about militant trade unions as showcased in my Summer of Discontent article.
That was you trying to be objective fuck me. I take it your essays you did when you did your nursing degree were a tiny bit more objective.
I don’t let my personal views affect my nursing practice, but on local issues it is a different story. I just hate Marsden, I feel Blackpool deserves better and I was disgusted and extremely disappointed to hear may sources believe he can sleep easy in Brighton about the general election in my hometown.
TB this is not about Marsden but Blackpool Council and Bell. Getting rid of one bad MP for another is not really the answer.
True and like I say I do admit there has been serious wrongdoing, but I just feel Blackpool deserves better than him. He doesn’t care about Blackpool, this is all for his ego and poltical career in my view.
Thats true about Ron, John, very true.
As always the public lose out in this sleight of hand charade we call democracy.
still, PLANNERS ARE SCUM as Gary Payne is a cunt!
Party Politics aside I do agree with TB that areas like Foxhall should be redeveloped first before any green belt area is built upon.
Which is what I have been saying but callow and co think different, lets hope this issue gets him thrown out.
Well this is just what has been happening in Lytham St. Annes for quite a few years now. Loads of houses built, not the “affordable” we allegedly need (and I say allegedly because the survey was for need and “want” – and I want to live in a cheap house in Monaco but I bet no council there’s prepared to get one built for me) – and money paid into council coffers to compensate THEM for the lack of social housing built and lack of green spaces and facilities included. The real problem is that so much land is being used in this way that there ends up no land left for building work opportunities, green spaces and social housing so the compensation doesn’t compensate the residents as if it gets spent to provide these areas they’ll be a long way away from the development.
It is developers buying the council and councillors – whether it’s legal to do so or not – and it’s the residents that will suffer in the end because built on land will never ever return to green space. I know the Queensway development opposition are in contact with the Moss campaigners so hopefully together they’ll find a way to effectively appeal a decision taken before consultation though it doesn’t look good and it’s probably not possible. That’s why local people who genuinely care about their communities need to stand against these prats in charge – Labour and the Conservatives are both letting us down massively.
Frustrated wasnt there a new road promised by developers but never delivered?
Yep – there’s always a big contribution to a new link to the M55 with the St Annes applications. So far I think it’s £16 million. But of course it’s not part of the actual planning application or a condition to build the road – just supply the cash. (Something that Kensington’s counsel said several times at the Queensway public inquiry which is strange as it’s not even a definite to go ahead – and the cash is only released as houses are built and sold, not all at the outset). And cash strapped councils tend to take the cash and not build the things promised. Oystons of course own a lot of the land needed and won’t sell voluntarily unless the price is really high for normal housebuilding land nevermind for mossy unbuildable on crap land.
Its not just Blackpool, St Annes but Thornton Cleveleys and even Fleetwood all have there own reason why it shouldn’t be done. Blackpool however have areas all over that can be levelled and redeveloped without touching green belt the old Hospital on Talbot road is one prime example. I do think this shows that the Blackpool council doesn’t think very much about the people they represent.
Very true John – Thornton and Fleetwood need new transport links before any more development goes ahead.
true, try telling that to that bastard Payne and Adolf Foreskin (Russell Forsyth)
Devonshire Rd hospital I forgot all about that, that is a perfect site for redevelopment but yet it seems to be going the same way as the Fleetwood Pier site.
I agree John, WBC dont care, not one of the many comments made about the AAP supported it, they still went ahead despite the terrible congestion we have.
Now we are facing yaers of gridlock, thanks to that bastard Payne and WBC.If Thornton anew sainsburys is to be built and they undera 106 agreement are supposed to pay 800 grand towards improvements to the a585,already they are trying to avoid that cost.
What is the chance that that bastard payne will let em off the hook for 800 grand?
He is being watched.
Blackpool council will pocket 9million if these houses are passed. Rather makes the 5grand handouts look like small change. They are going pass anything for that kind of money.
but what will they do with it, if they do?
Same as usual Squander it
How can this development be stopped?
To Harold.
By the public standing up to be counted.
By ordinary members of the public standing for council and then helping to return democracy to the council.
By saying no to the developers and charging excessive charges for appeals that are lost on all larger applications.
BY refusing to accept applications for any developement unless it is on a brown field site until there are no brown fields sites left.
I could go on but you get the picture.
Thanks Bill.
Well counterbalance has written another excellent article which will be of interest to Blackpool as well on a meeting regarding the M55 hub. It also shows that councillors’ e-mails sent through “fylde.gov” addresses may be being read by council staff and that some Fylde councillors might actually be reading this blog as a park and ride has been suggested at the site.
I have been reliably informed, and believe the conservative councillors have been instructed by the IT bods at Fylde on how to remove comments from the gasjets blog.
You may also be interested to learn that the gasjet are to install a new which will make it harder to remove comments.
I still wont use that site, its a joke as much as the paper itself.
Well, as a test I once removed a comment (for a genuine reason – I think all but one had been deleted and it was a minority view) with a fake email address and it worked. And as my IP address isn’t a static one I don’t see how they would have traced me.
So any system that stops fake deleting has to be a good thing. When FBC articles come up though, all the comments are deleted, whether in favour of the council, or against or merely asking a question. And certainly all factual figures are removed even though I always take them from the council website or article above directly. You’d think they’d use the opportunity to defend their position in a calm and reasoned way – it’d earn them respect and it could change a few minds if they aren’t being unreasonable afterall. Refusing to comment makes it look like their position is indefensible all the time.
What do you reckon Ian and Ruth Duffy, Wyre councillors, talk most about, of an evening?….
philtheone
Hear hear!
Well whoever this Dolly the Sheep, Shaun the Sheep etc etc is they seem to photographically memorise every line of my comments and then try and pull them apart with her nonsensical rants, what a fucking saddo
I am strongly convinced the Gazette has a pro-Labour bias; here is a few pieces of evidence; letters by Jack Croysdill and Clive Grunshaw almost always get featured letter, the Gazette persistently keeps censoring anti-Labour comments by myself and other commenters. When the deleter comes on and wipes all the comments notice how pro-Labour/anti-Tory comments by people like ‘cardy’ ‘frustrated of blackpool’ and other Labour supporters ALWAYS get restored yet my anti-Labour comments only sometimes get restored selectively, even when I write to the Gasjet requesting politely my comments be restored they just ignore me. Then they have also blocked the word ‘Liebour’ as an ‘unsuitable’ word, what a load of bollocks. I am tempted to complain to Johnston Press about that, because it is pathetic. They also allowed ‘cardy’ to post swear words using asterixes eventhough the House Rules state no profanity. They are definitely biased and I am sick of it.
TB why waste your time with a rag like the gasjet,sites like Phils show whata joke papers are?
a mate of mine has stopped writing letters due to the gasjets pro WBC bias.
Not just pro WBC – pro FBC as well (which is Conservative – so it’s not so simple to see where the bias is, though no-one Labour is likely to win a single seat in Fylde and certainly not have any power in the Council).
I guess it’s lazy reporting – wanting co-operation from major groups to fill their pages.
I agree with your comments re “frustrated of Blackpool” – too stupid to think of their own name for a start.
I think they are just pro people that provide them with stories to be honest. Biting the hand that feeds and all that.
If they didn’t get stories that way, they might have do some proper journalistic research instead of spewing forth council propaganda verbatim.
Something you might be interested in: – Counterbalance went to the Planning Meeting that approved this development and this is his report:
http://www.counterbalance.org.uk/latest/martonmo.htm
Hi I was at the meeting last night, it was as bad as any of the FBC meetings, an absolute disgrace.
I believe the council planning officer who spoke was very biased and gave out misleading information, he sounded to me as though he was working for Kensington which of course he wasn’t.
It was very obvious to me that the conservative whip had been out.
I was to speak against a second application for a piece of land exactly adjacent to the site that was approved and the recommendation was to refuse this application which was similar in every respect.
Something smells bad.
What a shameful shambles.
Just read the Counterbalance report and it sounds like a farce.
The local Conservatives should be ashamed of their participation in this corrupt, cash motivated, politically engineered hoodwinking. They have shamefully sold out to a private company, and are lured constantly by cash and cash alone.
Their vision lacks the scope to see the impact this development will have, just as it lacked the scope to forsee potential problems with the shared space scheme at St. John’s Square. Just as they lack vision to see the damage Ian Fowler’s cash fuelled autocratic parking policies have on local business. Just as they have failed to grasp the basics of what people actually want in exchange for handing over their tax money.
Peter Callow – indeed the Conservatives as a whole – are an absolute menace to this town and must be removed at the earliest opportunity. They are all an example of what damage can be done when people blindly vote for the party based on factors other than the actual people for whom they are voting.
I will say, though, that if Labour were the dominant party in the council, would the outcome have been any different?
I suspect not.
welcome back
Yes Phil, well said, Tory= labour =Dross.
Precisely Labour are acting like they would have done different but I don’t believe so. The Gasjet made a big point of saying the four Liebour councillors voted with the public. They only did that because they knew the Conservatives would vote in favour and because they were outnumbered 6-4 it makes them look like the good guys.
TB, Callow and co have to go, this decision proves they dony give a toss about blackpool,nor the electorate.
True but I don’t want a Labour council back in Blackpool, ever. They were just as bad if not worse. Also Peter Callow had nothing to do with this decision, it was Blackpool North councillors that voted. Also I am not the slightest bit convinced by Marsden. He probably doesn’ t even know where the Moss is seeing as he doesn’t even live here.
I agree about labour too, that leaves the lib dems,the conservatives are NOT conservative,they and liebour have to surely go, cos callows crew have shafted you mate.
Robert Wynne is a fantastic councillor, a proper man of principle who will put Blackpool first unlike that smug cocky Simon Blackburn who only cares about his political ambitions. I always said he is like a younger Roy Fisher, lets just hope he never becomes Council Leader. Doreen Holt and Dougie Green seem like good people also and I respect former councillors Steven Bate and Jon Bamborough for opposing the casino which I was fiercely against.
It seems the lib dems are the way to go TB,both con and lab are scum.
Vince Gable was on tv tonight,well impressed.
why isnt he the lib dem leader???
why cant he be chancellor?
The more I see of him, the more I would consider voting lib dem,otherwise its the BNP.
Vince Cable he is a good guy, a politician of principle and actually economically literate unlike Brown and Darling.
Peter Callow is a Blackpool North councillor is he not?
He certainly is but as far as I know he was not voting on this committee.
Hes still a cunt, arent you Peter?
Blackpool Conservatives,Conserving nothing, cos theres nothing to conserve:scum.
I must admit I found all this very interesting here some reasons I kept a eye on it
1 I wanted to see how many Cons would show there faces at the special planning meeting and more importantly who would not. No Callows and no Bell people of conviction NOT.
2 What reasons the cons supporters would give to explain why this council had no other choice here are a few.
a. Blackpool needs these houses to help first time buyers get on the market. We all know that’s Bullshit but this comment (or words to this effect) were posted on the Gazette site.
b. The government had forced Blackpool council to do this because of government policies. Bullshit affordable housing sites are all over Blackpool but Kensington wouldn’t make shit loads of money so their not interested. However Kensington doesn’t run Blackpool council or perhaps it does.
c. Well this council may have done it but so would the Labour council. So the Fuck what Labs aren’t in power the Cons are this council has broken trust with the people and they should all step down.
3 The last reason I found this interesting is for many months people have been saying that Labour supporters are narrow mind and only vote for them because they are stupid. On the other hand conservatives are a more honest and open people ready and will to critic their party. I think that comments that have been posted on this and the gazette site has proven otherwise.
Phil summed this up fairly well people shouldn’t make excuses for a party who sold the people it is meant to represent down the river.
http://ipad.io/HrQ
Hot off the digital press debate on the Marton Moss fiasco
Absolutely fantastic interview, the proper facts without Gasjet sensationalisation. Jon Bamboro made some excellent points especially about Marsden, spot on. I also agree totally about the petitions, most people in Blackpool were against the casino. The Gasjet claimed 91% supported it, the source the online Gasjet poll which is about as reliable as Labour’s pledges. On the Gasjet poll, ANYBODY ANYWHERE in the world can vote on it registered or unregistered. The results are totally flawed.