Plans to rip up a strip of Salford greenbelt to build houses and offices have been met with anger and a local MP is calling for the project to be scrapped.
Residents have been voicing their concerns about the council’s ‘Bridgewater West’ plans, which could see the land developed for ‘mixed use, including some residential’.
The Green Belt area sits on the boundary between Boothstown and Astley and is used as a recreational space by families in the area with multiple public right of ways and a bridleway.
MP for Worsley and Eccles, Michael Wheeler has urged residents to co-sign his letter to Wigan Council requesting that the plan be scrapped, detailing the shared concerns of opening the land up to development.
“I do not believe that the plans as set out justify the removal of this site from the Green Belt and the opening up of this land to development,” he wrote. “I and hundreds of others fed into the consultation on the local plan outlining concerns about the process and the basis on which this plan should remain designated as Green Belt.”
“It is impossible to overstate the strength of feeling locally against this proposal.”
One of the main concerns outlined in the letter is the site only meeting one of seven criteria set by Wigan Council for removing the Greenbelt as stated in a site assessment from April this year.
Poor access, urbanisation, unaffordable housing and risk to wildlife are other points raised by Mr Wheeler MP, with the latter being of ‘considerate concern’ to residents due to the presence of Lapwings, Yellowhammers and wild deer on the land.
Anger over the proposals follows months of campaigning for the Green belt to be protected, with hundreds of residents marching in protest across the site in May after the release of the site assessment.
Former teacher and local resident Sandra Leyland set up the Facebook group ‘Save our Astley and Boothstown Greenbelt’ as a community forum to discuss and attempt to stop the development plans.
Sandra emphasised potential adverse effects on the environment and farming in the area, saying: “It is a stunning place, most of this land they want to build on is actually pasture land.
“They’re hellbent on destroying the belt.”
Sandra says residents are planning further protest when Wigan Council meets to decide whether the plans will go to the next round of public consultation on November 26, saying: “We’re going to go en masse and make a big show, we are going to make a big, big noise”.
“I am determined we’re going to win.”
David Molyneux MBE, leader of Wigan Council defended the proposals, saying: “The proposed allocation of Bridgewater West is a unique opportunity to create new jobs in our borough, particularly in research, development, and technology.
“The new neighbourhood will be built sensitively within a high-quality environment, with access to nature, green spaces, water, and community facilities.”
Recent Comments