85022/OUT/15

I am writing to object to the above application.
 

The proposal is to build on a shallow band of land adjacent to the railway embankment. The land is currently a band of scrub that is an important piece of greenery for the community. Although it is untended it does play a roll in community life. In the blackberry season, residents can be seen with buckets full of blackberries. The terraced houses bordering this space tend not to have gardens and this small piece of green is a vital amenity.
 

We have seen in recent months Community Volunteers from ‘Love Gorse Hill’ and the Stretford Wombles take part in litter picks of this area and the future looks really positive for this land.

The development itself is inappropriate to the terraced community. It will dominate the street scene of Bowness St as it will be much taller than the houses. It will take away natural light from the street itself.

Station Road is a vital cycle route through to Gorse Hill recognised in Trafford’s cycle strategy that will grow in importance with developments already under construction at the Trafford College site and behind Trafford Park Station which I’ve welcomed. The proposal will have a detrimental affect on this cycleway as access to the footpath will be compromised.

This proposal is going to lead to over development in the area largely due to the loss of greenery. The site is also part of a wildlife corridor particularly for birds.

The railway line is increasingly busy and is running at full capacity. I have worries that the new homes will be too close to the railway. Clearly we need new homes but this is an inappropriate site as it removes a vital community asset and is simply wrong for the area.
 

I have been contacted via Facebook by a number of residents and it is clear that there is a great deal of disappointment in this application coming forward again. Gorse Hill Ward has insufficient greenspace which is why even small plots such as this are so vital. It will be a development too far if planning permission is granted.

Mike Cordingley

Labour Councillor for Gorse Hill Ward

I show this to the appropriate agencies. It’s the small park off Gorse Avenue. Technically not Gorse Hill Ward but close enough and it’s not acceptable.

Image by Isa KARAKUS from Pixabay

The elite will not like it one little bit, but Ed is absolutely right on this. For too long the unfairness in our tax system has been left unchallenged. The fact that there would be no deficit if HMRC collected the revenue that the Government calculates should be forthcoming from the current UK economy makes this urgent. Ordinary people are bearing the brunt because the rich and powerful refuse to pay their share. It’s brave, it’s challenging and it’s right.

UK Parliament, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I think we should have more school crossing places, not less.

I can’t make a case for any of the patrols to be removed.

However, we’re in a consultation and some crossings have received more publicity than others. I’ve therefore used the opportunity that being a councillor gives me to make a special case for retaining the patrol at Barton Road/ Moss Vale Crescent.

And here’s my email to the consultation. I’d have loved to focus on other crossings, as well but in my view this is the most dangerous of all:

As these proposals put young lives at greater risk, I believe these cuts go too far. The council should be encouraging more children to walk to school rather than discouraging active travel by making the journey more hazardous.

However, I wish to make a special case for the patrol at the Barton Road/Moss Vale Road M60 circle junction. This is a particularly messy and dangerous junction on a bend. There are a number of aggravating factors at this junction including the speed and positioning of vehicles as they approach from the motorway. Buses have to take a wide radius and at the same time there are vehicles turning right onto Moss Vale Crescent.

This means that driver focus is often on simple navigation given the amount of hazards that exist here. I appreciate it is a pelican crossing, but the patrol officer in their high vis and sign is a vital component in managing the children and reinforcing the stewardship of the traffic.

I appreciate there are other patrols on busier routes. Sometimes it is not just the volume, it is the complexity of the traffic behaviour that adds to the risk and I believe it is particularly prevalent at this junction.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Mike Cordingley
Councillor for Gorse Hill Ward
Labour Spokesperson for Economic Growth
Transport for Greater Manchester Committee
Locality Partnership for Old Trafford and Stretford

www.gorsehill-labour.co.uk