Gordon Attacks Council's Housing Plans

Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden has written to Council Leader Peter Callow criticising the core strategy for housing development on the Moss, with plans for a Fylde village, as ‘an inaccurate projection of Blackpool’s needs and requirements.’

The document was drawn up for supposed revision is going to the Council’s executive this week for discussion and approval.

In his letter to Councillor Callow Mr Marsden highlights a number of weaknesses in the document which he says ‘provides little evidence or any fresh thinking or analysis’. These include.

1.    Flawed figures for the number of homes required in Blackpool in the future, the North-West regional strategy says 8,000 while the Core Strategy report has inflated that figure (to 2026) to 10,200. “This means the council is still proposing to build 2,700 houses on and around Marton Moss, if they took the regional strategy figures it could be 500 or less” Mr Marsden says.

2.    A failure to have a proper strategy for inner area housing regeneration, “the report has made no attempt to identify a substantial programme for new government findings in central Blackpool. There is talk about an inspector not approving such proposals or Government not giving them the money, but if they really want brownfield development they must go for it, they would have more support.”

3.    Failure to have any ‘green context’ in the proposed building programme. No mention of new environmental and low carbon requirements that government is, even today with a major new announcement, going to require in housing strategies.

4.    The threat of suburban sprawl, ‘the report admits the developed Moss would change in character, becoming suburban rather than semi-rural. It’s very clear that in all the statements about ‘an organic approach to development’ it would be Fylde’s residents not Blackpool ones who might get new ‘woodland and water’, Blackpool would get the majority of housing built over its only large-scale remaining undeveloped Greenfield area.’

5.    Failure to address pressure on services, flood risk or employment issues in the proposals for a ‘Fylde village’, “any thoughtful review would have addressed issues such as the revival of allotments, possible eco-tourism and eco-businesses and a nature reserve on the Moss that might bring new employment to Blackpool’s outskirts.”

Mr Marsden told Councillor Callow that the ruling group’s credibility for commitment to inner area regeneration and green issues would be compromised if they simply rubberstamped the core strategy, and criticised the failure of the public consultation between this March and July when the revised document was produced.

Commenting on his appeal to Councillor Callow, Mr Marsden, who is currently backing opposition to a specific proposal by Kensington Developments to build 570 houses off Moss House road, said “we should all be trying to work together to put coherent and sustainable arguments for housing and regeneration to government. But this core strategy is a missed opportunity and serious questions need to be asked. It also fails to recognise how keeping Blackpool’s periphery green and special while regenerating our inner areas are intrinsically connected”.

“It would be a shame if the executive don’t send it back for major revision and do a proper consultation but simply rubber-stamp the strategy. The campaign to make them see sense over the Moss and Brownfield development will strengthen further.”