One Vision Housing revise plans for Smithy Green development as scores write to Formby Labour Action with concerns

 

 

Formby Labour Labour Action Team leader Peter Maguire and Labour Councillor Catie Page attended the second drop-in session to see amended plans for Smithy Green.

 

Plans for Smithy Green originally involved 18 two-bedroom (three person) flats and 24 three-bedroom (five person) townhouses built on the green.

 

But applicants, One Vision Housing have now amended the plans.

 

Instead of 42 properties, One Vision is applying to build 24 houses. There are now no flats in the revised proposed development.

 

As well as that, not all of the green will be used for the development as the plans show that part of it will be converted into an "urban greenspace".

 

Formby Labour Action Team's Peter Maguire and Ravenmeols Ward Labour Councillor Catie Page have been inundated with letters from concerned residents about the original plans.

 

Peter said: "The amendments which One Vision Housing has made to the plans show that they are listening to the concerns of residents.

 

"But it is my priority that all of the views of residents are listened to and addressed.

 

"I've been contacted by scores of people who have concerns about the plans they have seen or have questions about the proposals.

 

"I am working closely with our MP Bill Esterson and Cllr Catie Page in relation to this matter to ensure that people have their say and that any development is in the interests of the community.

 

"This is a major proposal for Formby and we want to make sure that everyone has the chance to have their say.

"We want all the views of the community to be heard in relation to this major development."

Sefton Labour leader says Thornton Relief Road plans could be given greenlight as soon as eight weeks' time

Sefton Council's Labour leader Cllr Peter Dowd said the final legal hurdles are currently being negotiated for the final green light to be given for the construction of the long-awaited Thornton Relief Road.

Cllr Dowd said the council's legal department was negotiating the final details in relation to building on 'Crown land' along the route.

If everything goes to plan, the final rubber stamping for the scheme could be as soon as eight weeks, with work scheduled for early next year.

Cllr Dowd said: "There are some very technical legal details left for Sefton Council to negotiate in relation to building on the land which is owned by the Crown, but we should hopefully see all of that resolved in the next couple of months.

"Once we manage to negotiate these final hurdles, we should be able to see work start as per the schedule early next year.

"I know that any delay causes concerns, but I know that Sefton's legal team is working on resolving the final details and we should finally see work begin on this much needed relief road."

The plans are for a "single carriageway link road between Thornton (Southport Road, Long Lane and Ince Road junction) and the Switch Island junction".

The scheme also includes: "Amendments to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency dept at Switch Island, associated landscaping measures, attenuation ponds and traffic management measures on the local highway network."

Cllr Dowd said people in Sefton have campaigned for over 30 years for the road.

Cllr Dowd said: "It has been a long and winding road to get to this stage, but we are getting to the stage where the greenlight will be given for construction.

"This is good news for people in Thronton who have had to contend with congested roads for many years, but also for the whole of Sefton as it is vital investment in our infrastructure which in turn will create jobs and put some much needed money into the local economy, while also improving our roads infrastructure which is a boost to local businesses.

"So although we aren't popping the corks just yet, the champagne is definitely on ice." 

Formby Labour Action Team leader sheds light on issue that has motorists seeing red

Formby Labour Action Team leader Peter Maguire is working to shed some light on an issue which has had motorists seeing red.

Peter has been contacted by a growing number of drivers who say the filter light system at Tesco/Formby Bypass junction needs to be reordered.

Motorists say from the Formby end of Altcar Road the filter light doesn't stay on long enough meaning that cars coming from Formby and travelling towards Liverpool are often marooned in the middle of the busy road. This also causes major tailbacks as cars turning right from Formby block the way for vehicles wanting to go straight through to the superstore.

Peter has contacted Sefton's Highways Department to find out how the system currently works.

He was informed that the operation of the junction, like many others in the borough, is governed by the hi-tech SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) and COMET signal management systems. These systems look at the congestion on the approaches to the junction using a number of loops buried in the road surface.

In the case of the Tesco junction the systems deal with queues on the two approaches on Altcar Road (from Tescos and from Formby) in two ways. If the system detects queuing beyond the loop detector on the approach from Formby which is situated approximately 50m before the stop line then it will give additional time to the green light to allow traffic to travel in both directions across the junction to ease the congestion.


If the queue length does not decrease, then on the next change of the lights it will introduce the green arrow to allow an extra 16 seconds for vehicles to turn right without meeting traffic coming from the opposite direction. This will continue to operate until the loop on the approach from Formby has not seen a queue for 15 minutes.

Over recent months, the automated system's log has shown that the filter arrow on the lights typically operates between 8am and 9.20am in the weekday and occasionally on a Saturday between 8.45am and 9.15am.

Peter is now working with the council's Highways Department to see if there is any way the system can be improved for Formby motorists.

Peter said: "Improvements have been made to this junction, but I am still getting complaints from people who say it could be better.

"I have asked the Highways Department to look into some of the complaints which have been raised to see if any further changes to the automated system can be made to alleviate any potential congestion on either side of the junction and to eliminate the potential danger of cars being left stranded in the middle of the road once the lights change.

"I'd like to thank the Highways Department for working with me on this and reacting so promptly to the concerns raised by residents." 

Labour Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls comes to Sefton as special guest at Sefton Central Labour Party Annual Dinner

 

 

Sefton Central Labour Party welcomed Labour's Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls to the party's annual dinner and local election campaign launch.

 

Ed Balls was the guest of honour at the event which attracted over 150 party members.

 

The Shadow Chancellor joined Sefton Central Labour MP Bill Esterson and Sefton Council Labour leader Cllr Peter Dowd at the dinner.

 

Ed Balls said he was delighted to join the annual dinner.

 

He told diners: "It is a pleasure to be here in Sefton again.

 

"What an amazing week it's been. We've had pastygate, a government caused run on petrol, a budget which has seen pensioners pay for a millionaire tax cut and the Lib Dems nod through the privatisation of the NHS. The most shambolic and disgraceful example of politics that I've ever seen.

 

"The events of the last week show you that despite David Cameron's best efforts to say otherwise, the Conservatives haven't changed. Their tax on our pensioners is an attack on our older people. Their removal of family tax credits is an attack on hard working families. Meanwhile they are giving millionaires a tax cut. Same old Tories.

 

"What is the point in this government of Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats? This is a right wing government pushing through a right wing agenda, looking after the rich at the expense of the poor.

 

"They've put up VAT, hitting working families and they've pushed through a budget which gives millionaires money at the expense of our pensioners.

 

"We know that George Osborne's plan is to cut tax credits and cut the top rate of tax. He thinks if you take away tax credits it will make working people work harder. While giving millionaires tax breaks will make them work harder. George has one rule for the rich and one rule for the rest of us."

 

Ed Balls praised Sefton Central's MP Bill Esterson and Sefton Council's Labour leader Cllr Peter Dowd: "You are so lucky here in Sefton Central to have Bill Esterson as your MP. He's a hardworking Member of Parliament who campaigns hard for the interests of the people of this constituency.

 

"Only by winning this seat will Labour be able to win the general election in 2015. The fightback starts here.

 

"That's why Bill is taking the fight to the Tories and Liberal Democrats in Government, and why Cllr Peter Dowd is taking the fight to them in the council.

 

"I wish them both the best of luck."

 

Bill Esterson thanked the Shadow Chancellor for attending.

 

Bill said: "Ed Balls is a leading figure in Labour's opposition to this right wing Tory-Lib Dem government.

 

"He predicted that George Osborne's slash and burn economic policy of cut fast and cut deep was doomed to failure and the rocketing unemployment figures and flat-lining of the UK economy is a direct consequence of that policy. A policy which is failing the people of this constituency and Sefton as a whole.

 

"I'd like to thank Ed Balls for being a fantastic guest speaker and everyone who came along to make Sefton Central Labour Party's annual dinner a success."

 

Sefton Council Labour leader Cllr Peter Dowd said the dinner had been a great success.

 

Cllr Dowd said: "It was a great evening for everyone who attended and it is always a pleasure to hear Ed Balls speak at one of our events."

Andy Burnham joins Sefton Central Labour MP and Sefton Labour Action Teams to launch Labour's family pledges

 

Shadow Health Minister Andy Burnham joined Sefton Central Labour MP Bill Esterson and members of the Sefton Labour Action Teams to launch Labour's new pledge cards for local families - and while he was here he popped in to Greggs for a pasty ahead of the introduction of the Tory-Lib Dem government's 'pie tax'.

 

Andy, who was born in Aintree, gave out Labour's new pledge cards to shoppers in Central Square.

 

The cards feature five pledges which Labour will honour to help protect family budgets.

 

The pledges are:

• Stop the Government's raid on pensioners and block its £40,000 tax cut to 14,000 millionaires
• End rail rip-offs by capping fare increases on every route
• Force the energy firms to cut gas and electricity bills for four-millions over-75s
• Stop excessive fees charged by banks and lo cost airlines
• Defend working families from the raid on their tax credits by reversing the Government's pension tax break for those earning over £150,000

 

Labour's five pledges come after George Osborne's budget for the rich in which the Tory-Lib Dem government announced they were giving a tax cut of more than £40,000 to 14,000 millionaires while putting up taxes for nearly 4.5million pensioners.

 

Speaking in Maghull, Andy Burnham slammed the Tories and Lib Dems for being "out of touch with ordinary people".

 

Andy said: "The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are out of touch. It is proven when you see that they are giving a tax cut to millionaires while hitting pensioners right here in Maghull and Merseyside with the bill.

 

"They are allowing train companies to increase fares by up to 11% on some of the busiest routes and refusing to stand up to the big energy companies which is laving 80% customers paying more for their gas and electricity.

 

"The pledges that we give are the pledges we stand by and show just what action Labour will take to help people right here in Merseyside a during these tough times."

 

Sefton Central Labour MP Bill Esterson said people in Maghull had welcomed the Labour pledges.

 

Bill said: "At a time when the Tories and Lib Dems are hitting ordinary families hard, the Labour Party is making clear its pledges to support ordinary working people and hard pressed pensioners.

 

"As well as the so-called 'granny tax' robbing from pensioners to pay to the millionaires, George Osborne's pie tax will hit us here in Sefton Central. Just in Maghull Central Square we have three bakeries which will be affected by this tax. These are three bakeries which employ local people.

 

"Another attack on businesses. Another attack on working people."

Smithy Green Drop In Session

One Vision are holding another drop in session for residents regarding the prosed development on Smithy Green after pressure from the Residents Association and the Formby Labour Action Team. It will be held at the Royal British Legion, Whitehouse Lane on Wednesday 4th April from 4-8pm. I encourage all local residents to attend so that they can view the plans and give feedback to the One Vision Team.