For weeks, residents of the Moorings Estate in Boothstown have had to put up with dirt, dust, noise and massive articulated lorries mounting kerbs as the vehicles try to negotiate the narrow roads en route to a new Countryside Properties development off Highclove Lane...
This morning residents had put up with enough and took direct action to make their point, blocking the access road into Countryside's compound which runs in between two houses on the estate. The police were called as children of all ages joined the protest before they went to school, chanting and carrying placards that read `Let us play, take your lorries away' and `Thank you Salford Council...another fine mess'.
"This is about the complete failure of Salford City Council, approving this application, ignoring the wishes of residents, agreeing planning conditions that are unenforceable and now walking away and leaving residents to deal with the developer directly" explained Charlotte Cooper of the Moorings Estate Residents Society "We've tried to engage with the Council at every level including the City Director and Salford Mayor and no-one is interested."
The planning application for `up to one hundred houses' on greenfield land, and originally submitted by Peel Holdings, has been controversial from the start (see here), with councillors twice refusing permission before the plans were finally passed. While the residents are powerless to do anything about that, now that work has begun on site they say terms of planning conditions agreed by the developer, Countryside Properties, have not been kept...
"Salford Council, in granting planning permission has given no consideration to the existing residents" explained John Furzer, from the Moorings Estate Residents Society "The route that's been given for all the construction traffic goes right past over 65 homes. We were told there were going to be all kinds of restrictions on the delivery times which haven't been stuck to and, basically, we've got artics mounting the kerb during the school run. We can't let our kids out to play for fear of vehicles coming onto the pavement as they're far too big to come down this road.
"Phase One has been approved but we're looking for an access road from the East Lancs Road, to come across from the Queen's roundabout, which would take all the works traffic now and from the new residents on the estate in the future, rather than everyone trying to funnel down a narrow bendy road which is full of kids" he added "We've got noise, dirt, dust, pollution, vehicles mounting the pavement; and then yesterday we got threatening behaviour from the contractors because certain cars were parked in a way that an ambulance or other cars could get through but a whacking great artic couldn't. Our neighbour got six builders knocking at his door."
Countryside had a sign up on the construction site gates which announced the company was part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme but when residents complained to the scheme's administrators it turned out that it wasn't, and the sign had to be taken down.
Residents are furious with Salford Council because planning officers have admitted that "there are difficulties around enforcement" of conditions that are "intended to encourage developers to operate in a considerate way"...
A letter from a senior planning officer to residents, posted on the Moorings Estate campaign site, adds: "Whilst the CEMP (Construction Environment Management Plan) and CTMP (Construction Traffic Management Plan) provide a mechanism to encourage the construction of a development in a neighbourly manner, they cannot for example prevent vehicles using the highway.
"I understand that this has caused confusion at a local level and this has been a particular concern of ward councillors particularly as the CEMP specified that the working hours would commence at 7.30am but deliveries would commence from 9.30am" he explains "It is clear from photographs that I have been provided with that the development has not been operating in the way prescribed in the approved documents..."
Indeed the residents' Facebook page is full of photos and videos showing the full extent of their ordeal at the hands of Countryside Properties... "What we want is certain conditions put in place" said resident Helenya Jones "We don't want them coming down here with big articulated lorries and cranes and everything else before 9:30am because the kids are walking to school. They're coming down, banking pavements, and it's completely dangerous.
"They're not listening because Salford Council can't enforce anything, so they're just doing what they want" she added "We trying to protect the safety of our children, who can't play out because no-one feels comfortable leaving them outside. Yesterday morning there were cranes coming down at 8:30am when the children were all walking to school, and that's why we've blocked the road – because we want to keep the kids safe."
The residents were joined on the protest this morning by local councillors, and Councillor Robin Garrido said that he `amazed' at the attitude of the Council... "At the end of the day there were over ten conditions that myself and two colleagues discussed with the Council and developers at the outset" he explained "Those conditions were agreed and they are blatantly being ignored.
"I don't agree that the Council can't enforce them and we're looking into that" he added "If they'd stuck to just one of those conditions - no deliveries before 9:30am and after 3:15pm - that would have taken care of the safety of children, but they're not doing it. They agreed to use smaller vehicles but every time a vehicle comes down here it's mounting the pavement. If there are children on that pavement and the lorry doesn't see them we're going to have a catastrophe. That's what we're worried about. We're concerned for the children's safety and until we're convinced that their safety has been looked after we're going to continue battling Countryside and battling the Council. Something has to be done about this."
Residents are also concerned about the future impact of the development, in terms of school places, traffic and infrastructure but it's the immediate issues that are causing consternation in this very quiet suburb of Boothstown.
"We chose to live here because it is quiet and because it looks finished" explained John Furzer "The Council has dropped us in the mire by giving them permission to plant sixty to seventy houses at the back. We fought that and planning permission was refused twice but now we've got to deal with the aftermath.
"We know that new houses have to be built but it has to be done in a way that is considerate to the existing residents" he added "This one is about as inconsiderate as you can get – it's the opposite. We want Countryside to do what they said they were going to do, and then life might be a bit more bearable. Still rubbish. But a bit more bearable."
In the meantime, the kids are taking direct action...
See also previous Salford Star articles on Countryside Properties...
* Countryside Properties avoids planning fees and affordable housing in Seedley - click here
* Countryside Properties avoids planning fees and affordable housing in Broughton - click here
* Countryside Properties avoids planning fees and affordable housing in Walkden - click here
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