Star date: 4th October 2018

RESIDENTS PROTEST AGAINST SALFORD COUNCIL PLANNING PANEL

"It's a travesty what's happening..." resident

Swinton residents demonstrated outside Salford Civic Centre this morning, letting the Council Planning Panel know what has happened since councillors gave Bellway Homes permission to build 241 houses on Campbell Road Fields.

"Everything we've said about single access not working has been vindicated now" said Carol Boyce of Saving Our Neighbourhood "It's a nightmare, we can't live with it; it's an insanity..."

Full details here...

Back in March this year, 339 residents objected to a planning application by Bellway Homes to plonk 241 houses on Campbell Road Fields in Swinton. They objected mainly about the traffic problems the development would cause and one single access road to the proposed estate (see here).

Salford City Council's Planning Panel of councillors nevertheless passed the controversial application and now residents are having to live with the consequences. Even though the development has now started, those living in the area are not letting the issues go.

Under the banner of Saving Our Neighbourhood, they have already held one huge public meeting and held a protest at the site's gates.* Today, they took their message direct to Salford Council, with a protest outside the Civic Centre prior to this morning's Planning Panel meeting of councillors.

The placards said it all...'We demand democracy not autocracy'... 'Salford City Council Sold Us Down The River'...'The Welfare of the People is the Highest Law – When Did Salford Council Lose Sight of Their Own Motto?'...

Three planning panel councillors who voted against the development did stop to talk to the protesters, while others just ignored them...

"I'm here to defend the community about what's going on" said resident Cornelius O'Keef "This single road access was stupid from the start. They've not acknowledged the issues and have just walked over everyone. Derek Antrobus doesn't care about the local people, he only cares about Derek Antrobus."

Christine Derbyshire underlined the sentiments... "I live on the Thorn Road estate and it's a travesty what's happening" she explained "The lorries are going up and down Thorn Road from 6:30am when they promised 8am, and they're just flouting all the rules and regulations that they put in place. I've lived in Salford nearly all my life and Salford Council is absolutely rubbish..."

While the newly formed Saving Our Neighbourhood group wants to spread the protests throughout the whole of Salford where inappropriate development is taking place, this one was purely about Campbell Road...

"We are here to let Salford Council Planning Panel know how we feel about the Bellway Homes development at Campbell Road Fields" said Carol Boyce "There's wagons of over forty tons coming down there all day long, the road is already crumbling, the pavements are already cracked...there's an accident waiting to happen because the children go in the gate where the lorries get access to the site.

"Everything we've said about single access not working has been vindicated now" she added "There's so many issues, it's a nightmare, we can't live with it; it's an insanity, and it has to change. We're telling the Council we can't live with that single access, they have to find another way..."

* For a full background see previous Salford Star articles - click here...click here...click here

See also a report on the Planning Panel meeting that followed this protest: Salford Councillors Anger on Affordable Housing Boils Over - click here