Protesters against a proposed housing development in Carleton say land must be protected
The plans to build nearly 100 homes on land bordering Carleton, Poulton and Blackpool are attracting massive opposition from residents as well as Wyre councillors.
Protesters against a proposed major housing development in Carleton say the greenbelt land is home to a herd of deer – including a magnificent stag – and must be protected.
The plans to build nearly 100 homes on land bordering Carleton, Poulton and Blackpool are attracting massive opposition from residents as well as Wyre councillors.
An outline application for residential development of up to 99 dwellings and associated open space, landscaping and infrastructure has been lodged with planners at Wyre on behalf of applicants Blackpool Council.
The proposals have been earmarked for a large area of farmland off The Lane, bounded by Blackpool Road and Blackpool Old Road and to the east of Carleton Crematorium.
If approved, it would be the latest development which has seen many hundreds of new homes built in the area in and around Poulton within the past five years.
The applicants say the scale of development proposed is in keeping with the scale of Poulton as one of the main towns in the district.
But more than 300 objections to the plans have been lodged with Wyre’s planning portal.
Among the protesters is resident Catherine Carter, who said: “There is no public support for this new build.
“There’s the unethical unlocking of green land, with plenty of evidence shared on social media of nesting/breeding migrating birds, deer, a stag, owls and bats which live on the fields at Blackpool Road.
“This is their habitat, which is becoming so much smaller, it is concerning that this is forcing them to move closer to people’s gardens, closer to the railway track and closer to the roads.
“No infrastructure has been implemented to support an additional 300 people living on these fields. Housing people on these fields is not sustainable.
“There is one main road running through Carleton which is already regularly grid-locked. Carleton Crossing regularly is closed. No new services or systems in education, NHS, transport have been built; the impact of the proposed new build by the local authority only adds more pressure on an already struggling system.”
In addition, the scheme is being strongly opposed by a cross-party group of Wyre councillors who have vowed to fight it all the way, stating that the development would be catastrophic for the Carleton and Poulton areas which are already feeling the negative effects of other recent developments.
Cllr Lesley McKay, a Conservative councillor for Poulton’s Tithebarn ward, has called in the application in order for it to be determined by Wyre’s planning committee, due to the size and impact on the neighbourhood and road safety concerns.
She said: “This road cannot take another 100 houses. Previous housing developments have already left the road in a terrible state.
“It is devastating what has happened to the area, losing greenspace and endangering the wildlife, creating a problem at the level crossing, ruining the road surface and making it hazardous.
“We’re already at breaking point and those of us who are objecting to this will fight it all the way.”
But a planning statement in support of the application says: “The scale of development proposed is in keeping with the scale and function of Poulton-le-Fylde as one of the main towns in the district and there is also no reason why a high quality design could not be secured in line with relevant Development Plan policy.
“Ultimately, when the economic, social and environmental impacts are considered together, the proposals comprise sustainable development and there are no impacts which outweigh the aforementioned benefits.
“Moreover, the application complies with the relevant policies of the adopted Local Plan and as such, outline permission ought to be granted.”