JulesB Posted March 5, 2010 Report Share Posted March 5, 2010 A huge ammunition factory which will be topped by 85ft chimneys is being built right on the doorstep of the residential area that I live in. It towers above the houses and is going to be a proper eyesore. Planning notices were placed on the edges of dual carriageways (ie. where you couldn't have stopped your car to read them) and on the old factory gates (the old factory was demolished for this one to be built) and the whole thing seems to have been rushed through. Some of my neighbours have arranged a meeting next week to see if there is anything we can do, and I'm going along but I just wondered if anyone had any experience of tackling this sort of thing? Apparently there has not been an environmental survey done on the site since the 1960s. I thought they had to be done as part of the planning process, but maybe not? The site is right on the edge of the coast to coast cycle path, in what was a lovely green corridor that sheltered our houses from industrial estates and the bypass. One of my neighbours told me this morning that two dogs that are walked along the cycle route (an old railway line) have died this week from Weils disease, which appears to have happened after the rats leaving the old disused site have moved out. I don't suppose there is much we can do now the flipping thing is half-built, but we are going to have a go. Local councillors have not been very helpful. I belive there has been grant money involved to bring the company here Does anyone have any experience or advice to offer please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happylittlegreensquirrel Posted March 5, 2010 Report Share Posted March 5, 2010 (edited) cripes that awful and I know how you feel , about 7 years ago our local council tried to build a car & coach park directly opposite my house without proper consultation They also wanted to build a sports pavilion and coach park in the park , and a skate board park, Mark and I set up a action group and got all our neighbours involved. We did not over turn the whole thing but we did force them to have meetings and listen to the residents views and Mark spoke at the planing meetings on behalf of us all We had the scale of the project reduced , the car parks reduced in size and moved to a more suitable area, the coach & skate board park removed completely . We got tree preservation orders on trees and hedgerows and ensure the building was supervised by the enviromental department We discovered the plans where wrong ( they had to be redone as result , they had not followed the correct consultation process ( they are meant to write to house holders directly affected as well as place notices where they can be seen ) if you are around tomorrow late morning I would be happy to give you a call if that helps, I can't remember a lot of the details but I can remember enough to get you going Sam Edited March 5, 2010 by Happylittlegreensquirrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel n Hardy Posted March 5, 2010 Report Share Posted March 5, 2010 Would they be able to go ahead with the plan if they 'discover' Cowslips (protected), Newts (also protected) or one of the bat species on the site Not that for one second I am suggesting transplanting them of course Is there anything in there or nearby that has a protection order on it, or that can be applied Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesB Posted March 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2010 Sam, that would be great thanks. I will call you to save your phone bill, if you let me know what time suits you. Will PM you to swap numbers. Nige, I was thinking along the same lines re. protected species. The old factory had been closed for five years and we are fairly near a river and plenty of woodland so bats might have been a possibility. I know housing developers have to pay for bat surveys, not sure about commercial developers but I will be finding out. The biggest problem we probably have is that the skeleton is already in place - that's how most of us found out about it, as it suddenly rose up behind the trees. It was a bit like War of the Worlds, where the giant spaceship suddenly appears over the horizon and fills the sky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lester Posted March 5, 2010 Report Share Posted March 5, 2010 You should stand in the local elections. Try the Green party , you dont have to be a member for them to put you foreward No one bothers about rat borne disease any more. we have Weils min a retail park. I offered tio sanitise it for free ( 3 grand s worth of work) but they got two cowboys with no protection with rented Swirlaway to blow spray all over the kids playground. You should demand a full envronmental study Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kats n greys Posted March 5, 2010 Report Share Posted March 5, 2010 Don't know if this is any use to you Halton Breathe(I work for the company that is building the Energy from Waste plant that they are protesting about), it's being built on part of our site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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