QLocal is only too pleased to publish this letter from Gavin Rattray written to Coun. John Hodson:

'Dear Cllr Hodson

I noticed that you hadn’t responded to any of my recent emails and therefore make the same request again with a reminder that a response would be helpful before the borough council planning meeting to decide the Meadowbrook application takes place 7.30 pm this Thursday 27th July.

Would you mind telling me what is going on in the Borough Council? It’s not that long ago that you told me, during a meeting with Burscough Flooding Group, that the Labour party were looking at putting part of the enormous Yew Tree Farm site back into greenbelt.

One could perceive that as Portfolio Holder for Planning you have no apparent control what-so-ever on housing, or perhaps the Labour party has received a bung, or that LCC, by putting conditions on the Square Lane junction, deliberately placed the mitigation of the traffic issues in the hands of the Meadowbrook landowner. Obviously I don’t have any evidence and I write this more in sorrow than in anger.

But I very much would like an explanation of why Meadowbrook is being recommended to be approved, given that it is not part of this local plan period and you were talking about putting it back in greenbelt?

In addition, if it doesn’t put any value in protecting the local plan then why did the Labour party risk a fortune of ratepayers’ money to protect the amenity of Parrs Lane residents against developers, because Parrs Lane development wasn’t part of this local plan period?

Burscough residents are not only going to lose their amenity but are also going to suffer from additional regular sewer and surface water flooding as a result of the Meadowbrook development, because it contravenes the special drainage conditions within the Master Plan. Is there a rational explanation for the continuing poor planning decisions being made by WLBC and might you be willing to share it with Burscough’s residents, voters and ratepayers?'

Regards

Gavin Rattray – Secretary Burscough Flooding Group