Agenda item

Mrs Barbara Walker has registered, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution, to deliver an address to Members regarding the e-Petition submitted to Council about Bailrigg Garden Village. Both the wording of the petition and the wording of Mrs Walker’s address to Council are included with the agenda.

The petition has in excess of 500 signatories. It is therefore accompanied by a report from the Director of Regeneration and Planning, as required by the Constitution.

Mrs Barbara Walker presented a petition and addressed Council in accordance with the provisions of the Council’s Petition Scheme and Council Procedure Rule 13.

The petition read as follows:

“We the undersigned petition the council to withdraw the consultation on Bailrigg Garden Village Masterplan currently being undertaken by JPT Architects and to put in place a consultation process which properly addresses the objections of local residents.

Local residents and local organisations submitted an extensive range of objections to the Lancaster Local Plan and Bailrigg Garden Village, as it was being drafted, from between 2017 and 2019.

These objections were repeated at the 2019 public hearings conducted by the Planning Inspector and additionally, presentations were made to Council meetings in December 2017 and July 2020.

Residents have received no response to these objections which have, in effect, been ignored. In those circumstances JTP's intention to complete their masterplan by March 2021 cannot provide adequate time for proper considerations of residents' views.

The local residents of Galgate, Scotforth and Hala and surrounding areas deserve to be listened to due to a number of reasons and issues, including flooding, air quality, a lack of infrastructure being published and protecting the local environment including bluebell wood that is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, including protected animals like otters that have been seen along the canal.

The technicalities of arranging such a consultation have not been adequately met by JTP and residents wishing to express their views, found the electronic platform provided to be inadequate. Additionally, whole sections of residents did not receive the JTP consultation leaflet and therefore were unfairly excluded from the process. Additionally, problems were noted with the email provided. This combined with a ridiculously short deadline has meant that the consultation procedure has fallen short of its role in providing local residents with an opportunity to comment in a constructive and representative way.

We as residents of the surrounding areas do not want our areas to lose their identity."

The petition contained 718 signatures and, in accordance with the Petition Scheme in the Council’s Constitution, a report had been prepared by officers.

Councillor Hanson responded on behalf of the Council as the Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Planning. She thanked Mrs Walker for attending Council. 

Councillors then asked a number of questions, which Councillor Hanson responded to, before proposing:

“(1)    That Council notes the substantive issues raised by this petition and requests that the Director for Economic Growth and Regeneration engage with sponsors of the petition to address their concerns. In particular, this engagement should provide an analysis of responses provided by local residents during the current master-planning process and, as appropriate, explanations where the responses have not informed the masterplan.

(2)     Full Council is asked to mandate that consultation on the subsequent South Lancaster Area Action Plans should include structured questions and provide feedback to those registering comments/objections.”

Councillor Dowding seconded the proposition and debate followed.

At the conclusion of the debate, a roll call vote was taken. With 51 members voting for the proposal, none against and one abstention, the motion was clearly carried.

Resolved:

(1)     That Council notes the substantive issues raised by this petition and requests that the Director for Economic Growth and Regeneration engage with sponsors of the petition to address their concerns. In particular, this engagement should provide an analysis of responses provided by local residents during the current master-planning process and, as appropriate, explanations where the responses have not informed the masterplan.

(2)     Full Council is asked to mandate that consultation on the subsequent South Lancaster Area Action Plans should include structured questions and provide feedback to those registering comments/objections.