Cllr Iain Lindley – Prospective Conservative MP for Worsley & Eccles South
There are some great views across the Worsley & Eccles South constituency – here’s one from earlier today. I’ve been out campaigning with our excellent candidate for Cadishead ward, Tony Kelly, and Conservative colleagues, and I thought I’d grab a quick snap of the great view across the Glaze from the top of Lords Street and Fir Street.
I’m always delighted to hear from local residents about their local area – be that a great view or something that needs sorting out (of which, more shortly…)
It seems that Salford’s Labour Council is going to perform a dramatic u-turn, and axe their plans to bulldoze 40 hectares of Green Belt land at Barton Moss for heavy industrial usage.
The plans would have a catastrophic impact on local residents in Cadishead, Irlam, Peel Green and Brookhouse, and I’m delighted that Labour have finally seen sense and moved to withdraw their proposals.
I’m particularly pleased for the “Save Our North West Green Belt” campaign group, who have worked tirelessly and have been rewarded for their efforts on behalf of the community.
It’s important to ask, though – why did these daft proposals ever see the light of day in the first place? As with the Congestion Charge, Labour haven’t listened to local people and instead have had to backpedal after wasting all our time and money only to be howled down with derision.
Your local Conservatives, by contrast, have backed local residents from the start and stood up for their concerns.
It was great to see another huge turnout for today’s walk in Irlam, from Cutnook Lane to the peat extraction works on Irlam Moss.
The sheer scale of the peat works was a real eye-opener, and I think it would be very difficult to justify any further planning permission for more extraction. Acres of bog have already been decimated by the works.
The “Save Our North West Green Belt” group are continuing to do a fantastic job in raising the profile of the local environment, not just in Irlam and Cadishead but across the local area. They continue to have my full support.
I’m really pleased that the local residents fighting Labour’s plan to bulldoze Barton Moss continue to go from strength-to-strength, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend their meeting yesterday at Higher Irlam Social Club.
It’s brilliant to see so many community-minded people standing up for their local environment – fantastic to see. I’ll be heading back to Irlam on Saturday for the vigil walk out onto the moss and I will continue to give every support that I can.
Don’t forget that a Conservative Government would abolish the Labour Government’s daft planning targets which have contributed to the plans to build on Barton Moss – Conservatives will return power to our local communities and let residents decide.
In 2008, the good people of Irlam voted out their Labour Councillor, after it became clear that the Labour Party were no longer listening to local residents in Irlam, particularly over their disastrous proposals for a congestion charge.
Our Conservative candidate saw his vote share rise considerably, and Labour plunged to third place, but the seat was won by Cllr Rick Houlton of the Community Action Party.
I wonder what local people in Irlam would make, then, of last week’s Council budget meeting. Cllr Houlton stood on an anti-Labour ticket, and was swept into office on the back of disillusionment with Labour, so how is representing the people of Irlam when he votes to prop up the Labour administration on Salford City Council and supports their budget?
It’s clear that voting for fringe parties like Community Action – and independents who also supported Labour’s budget – that you just end up with Labour. There’s only one way to make sure you kick Labour out this year, be that on Salford City Council or in Westminster – and that’s to vote Conservative.
Like most local residents, I’m appalled by the latest schemes put forward by Peel Holdings – they would lead to a wholesale destruction of the local environment in Worsley, Eccles, Irlam and Cadishead, to the severe detriment of our local communities. I hope that the Council treat the plans with the disdain that they deserve at the next stage of the Core Strategy process.
However, let’s not forget that Peel are merely doing the bidding of the Labour Government on this issue. The Government’s regional planning guidance, imposed on the people of Salford, demands that we make space for over 30000 new homes as well as heavy industry on our green land. The Council’s own plans, although less dramatic, would still wipe out huge swathes of Green Belt land on Barton Moss and green field land at Burgess Farm.
A Conservative Government would scrap the dangerous regional planning guidance and return powers to local people – allowing our precious green land to be protected.
I was really pleased to see such a huge turnout of local residents for today’s protest against Labour’s plans to bulldoze the Green Belt at Barton Moss.
It’s really encouraging to see that so many people care about their local community and environment and are prepared to stand up and be counted.
The campaign committee fighting the proposals in Irlam, Cadishead and Peel Green have done a marvellous job and I’m delighted that a strong team of local Conservative Councillors and local campaigners were able to go along to the protest and show their support for the residents.
The proposal would remove almost all of the green space between Peel Green and Irlam, and the local infrastructure simply cannot cope – the A57 is already full beyond capacity and there are already approved plans for Port Salford and the Reds Stadium. The loss of Grade 1 agricultural land and the City’s “green lung” would be simply unacceptable, and the proposals would create a huge headache for residents in Irlam, Cadishead, Peel Green and Brookhouse.
Of course, one of the main reasons that these proposals have seen the light of day is because the Government has imposed central planning targets on our local communities. Under Labour’s current plans, this will leave us with tens of thousands of empty tiny flats, and acres of green belt and green field sites destroyed.
A Conservative Government would abolish these unfeasible targets and return the power to decide how much development we need to local residents. Under a future Conservative Government, it would be up to our local communities to make these decisions – not Labour’s faceless bureaucrats in Whitehall.
The Friends of Walkden Station hold their latest meeting tonight (Wednesday 6th January) at Walkden British Legion on Wilfred Road. Proceedings start at 7.15pm and I have been assured by the Secretary that the meeting will continue regardless of the weather!
There’s also a meeting of the Save Barton Moss campaign group tonight, starting at 7pm at Higher Irlam Social Club, Cutnook Lane, Irlam. Don’t forget that the deadline for submitting responses to the Core Strategy is a week Friday, 15th January.
I’m very grateful to all those local residents who have contacted me about the Labour proposals to bulldoze the green belt at Barton Moss.
Many local residents in Peel Green and Brookhouse have signed our petition against the proposals, and concerned local residents in Irlam and Cadishead are producing their own petition for the local community there to complete (I wouldn’t dream of duplicating!).
If you’ve not signed either petition yet, and you want to show your opposition to the Labour plans, you can now sign my petition online.
Don’t forget also that you have until 15th January to submit your own comments and objections to the Core Strategy – visit www.itsyoursalford.info to find out how to respond.
Conservative Party News
Labour Hypocrisy Over Barton Moss Agricultural Land
On Tuesday, the Government launches a “food strategy” for the next twenty years. According to the Sunday Telegraph:
If that is the case, then why is our Labour Council and Labour Government so determined to destroy the Grade 1 Agricultural land at Barton Moss?